KUALA LUMPUR: Most remaining games in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2022 Qatar World Cup will be postponed to June because of coronavirus disruptions, officials said Friday.
Dozens of nations across eight groups in the current round of qualifying were supposed to resume their campaigns in March after the pandemic delayed matches slated for last year.
But the Asian Football Confederation said they were now inviting bids from member associations to host their respective groups in a centralised format in the June international window.
They blamed “existing travel and quarantine restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic”.
As well as hosts Qatar, Asia has four guaranteed spots at the World Cup finals.