North Korea, Yemen and the Philippines qualify for Asian Cup

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea, Yemen and the Philippines earned the final three qualification places for next year's Asian Cup.

Yemen, which played its home games in Qatar because of the ongoing conflict in the country, qualified for the tournament for the first time before even playing Tuesday because the Philippines beat Tajikistan 2-1 in Manila in the same group.

North Korea advanced to the final tournament by beating Hong Kong 2-0 at Kim Il Sung Stadium in Pyongyang.

The 2019 Asian Cup, scheduled to be played in January in the United Arab Emirates, will have an expanded 24-team field, eight more than the previous tournament.