North Korea at the World Cup

North Korea, the highly reclusive communist country, last played in the World Cup in 1966, where the country became the first Asian team to advance beyond the first round. Despite being ranked 105th in the world by FIFA, the team qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, being matched against heavyweights Brazil, Portugal and the Ivory Coast in the first round. The team drew the spotlight for its secretiveness even at the tournament, as well as curious stories about dictator Kim Jong-Il feeding directions to the team's coach and speculation about what might happen to the players back home should they lose.