This content was originally published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now being reprinted with permission.
North Korea’s national soccer team may kick off the second round of Eastern finals for the 2026 World Cup on Thursday, but their Chinese-made clothes may be part of a punishment infraction, experts told Radio Free Asia.
Chinese sportswear company Inlang Sports announced last week on social media that the North Korean team may be wearing clothing bearing Inlang’s symbol for the first time in Thursday’s match against Uzbekistan in Tashkent.
The organization announced at a ceremony in January that they had agreed to sponsor North Korean men’s and women’s soccer and provide uniforms, but this arrangement may be in contravention of sanctions intended to deprive Pyongyang of funds and resources that could be used in its nuclear and missile programs.
” Money transfers and joint ventures would likely be a sanctions violation”, Aaron Arnold, a Senior Associate Fellow at the U. K. based Royal United Services Institute’s Centre for Finance and Security, told RFA Korean.  ,
You could also feasibly argue that the uniforms are prohibited under the luxury goods ban, but that might be difficult.
Sports equipment is referred to as “luxury goods” in UN Security Council Resolution 2270, but Alastair Morgan, the former British ambassador to North Korea, explained to RFA how the uniforms might not be considered.
The People’s Republic of China, using an acronym for the People’s Republic of China, suggested that a sponsorship arrangement does not necessarily involve the supply of goods even though it might do so and/or that clothing items are not “recreative sporting equipment.”
There might be additional violations, depending on the nature of the financial transactions involved and whether the DPRK recipient was a designated entity.
Additionally, Inlang’s support of the team might allow international buyers to purchase the team’s uniforms.
Inlang did not respond to inquiries about potential sanctions violations in the RFA.
Soccer in North Korea has previously raised questions about sanctions.  ,
South Korea’s national team instructed its players not to change uniforms after the 2022 Qatar World Cup Asian qualifier match, which took place in Pyongyang in 2019 because it was concerned about violating sanctions against North Korea.
Should the North Korean team qualify for the World Cup, it would be Inlang’s debut at the tournament.
In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, 13 teams wore Nike kits, seven went with Adidas, and 6 wore Puma. The remaining six teams were outfitted by six different makers. Nike is also the current national team’s sponsor.
The North Korean squad wore Legea uniforms for the first time in 2010 as their last World Cup qualifying event.  ,
