The UAE’s World Cup qualifiers have been postponed once more, with the remaining Group G matches to take place in a centralised venue in June.
The second round of qualification, paused last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, was scheduled to resume next month, with the UAE to face Malaysia at home and Indonesia away. They were to then conclude their campaign in June, with home ties against Thailand and Vietnam.
However, it was decided on Wednesday that all Group G matches would be pushed back until June after a number of countries raised concerns about staging games amid the travel restrictions imposed because of the pandemic.
The Football Association has expressed a willingness to host all of the groups remaining fixtures. It must formally register a proposal to the Asian Football Confederation by March 5, with the governing body’s final decision to come on March 15.
The new proposed dates for the UAE’s outstanding matches are Malaysia on June 3, Thailand on June 7, Indonesia four days later and Vietnam on June 15.
Currently, the UAE sit fourth in the standings, five points off leaders Vietnam, although they do have a game in hand over each of their rivals.
The eight group winners and four best runners-up will progress to the final round of qualification. Round 3 is to begin in September, with the campaign to be concluded in April next year. The World Cup begins in Qatar in November 2022.
