8 African countries denied hosting international matches due to the state of the stadiums
Eight African countries have been deprived of hosting their scheduled matches in the World Cup qualifiers next month, after their stadiums were deemed ineligible to host international matches, and it was decided to hold these matches in neutral stadiums.
The countries that decide to hold their matches on neutral stadiums are Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mali, Namibia and Niger.
The decision came after a team from the Confederation of African Football visited the stadiums of these countries and after a comprehensive review of African stadiums last year as well.
Some countries were warned of the need to develop their stadiums, or they would face being banned from hosting international matches.
As part of the changes, Burkina Faso will meet African champions Algeria in Group A on the sixth of next September in Marrakesh, Morocco, instead of Ouagadougou.
Marrakesh will also host Niger's match with Burkina Faso on September 1.
40 countries will compete in the African World Cup qualifiers through 10 groups, with only the winning teams qualifying for the final stage of the qualifiers to be held next March, from which five teams will qualify for the finals to be held in 2022.
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