Asuncion (AFP)
South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, will begin in September, the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) said Friday.
The first two days of qualifying in the Amsud zone (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) could not start at the end of March due to the spread of the virus. Conmebol asked Fifa to postpone these matches to September.
"For the moment, the start date for qualifications set by FIFA is from September 4 to 8, 2020. The original format (single pool) remains unchanged," said Conmebol after a videoconference between members of the Council and the presidents of the member associations.
It was on these dates that the 3rd and 4th days of the qualifiers should have been contested. The calendar of the following days will be the responsibility of Fifa, said Conmebol.
In addition, "no date has yet been set for the resumption" of Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, the two continental club competitions, also stopped due to Covid-19.
But Conmebol remains determined to complete the 2020 edition of the two tournaments.
In addition, the proceeding has confirmed that the next edition of Copa America will take place in June and July 2021.
© 2020 AFP