The AFC announced today, Friday, that most of the remaining matches in the second phase of the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup have been postponed to next June due to the outbreak of the Corona virus.
The federation said that four matches will be held on their specified dates and locations without change on the 25 and 30 of next March, while the rest of the matches will be held collectively in one place, between May 31 and June 15.
“The AFC continues to place the health and safety of players and teams as a top priority, and will cooperate with the national federations of the continent in order to closely monitor the situation in the region,” the Confederation added in a statement.
The matches of the second phase of the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, in which 40 Asian teams will compete in eight groups, were scheduled to start next March, after being postponed from last year due to the Corona virus pandemic.
The winning teams at the top of the eight groups, in addition to the top four second-placed teams, qualify for the third round of the qualifiers.
Asia has four seats in the World Cup, in addition to Qatar, the Asian champion, which secured its seat in the tournament as the host country, as well as another seat through a playoff match with a competitor from another continent.
Source: Reuters
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