World soccer's governing body FIFA will release a statement later on Thursday amid reports two North Korean players had failed doping tests at the women's World Cup.
German media quoted FIFA's chief medical officer, Jiri Dvorak, as saying the pair had been suspended from Wednesday's group match against Colombia after testing positive for a banned substance earlier in the tournament.
"It's a sad day," Dvorak was quoted as saying, adding that the entire North Korea team were subjected to a test after Wednesday's match as standard procedure when two players test positive.
Colombia's goalkeeper Yineth Varon has already been suspended after failing an out-of-competition doping test conducted in Leverkusen.
Both Colombia and North Korea were knocked out in the first round.