Following coronavirus outbreaks in the Syria and Maldives teams, officials announced that some World Cup football qualification matches planned to be held in China will be rescheduled to Sharjah.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Tuesday that the UAE Emirates Football Association (UAE FA) has accepted to conduct the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

The remaining seven matches in Group A, which includes leaders Syria, China, the Philippines, the Maldives, and Guam, would be held at the Sharjah Stadium, with tournament planning to be approved in the next few days following discussions with the participating teams and taking into account their arrival schedules in the UAE.

China is second in the rankings, behind Syria by five points. They still have matches against the Maldives, the Philippines, and Syria to come. The group is made up of Guam, which is at the bottom of the rankings.

Dato' Windsor John, AFC General Secretary, expressed his gratitude to the UAE FA for agreeing to host the Group A matches, especially during these difficult circumstances.

“Those were truly unprecedented times for everyone, and I'd like to congratulate the UAE FA on behalf of the AFC for accepting to conduct the Group A matches in the Asian qualifiers,” he added.

The UAE FA's dedication to hosting the tournaments in such a short time demonstrates their spirit of teamwork and organizational excellence, so we are convinced that they could create the best possible atmosphere for our teams and players.

“The AFC expressed its wish to guarantee the safe and successful restart of the Asian qualifications, and we are committed to executing on our objectives while complying to the strictest health procedures, for the welfare of all our teams participating, players, fans, and stakeholder groups.”

“The UAE Football Association is happy to host the Group A matches of the Asian Qualifiers in the spirit of Asian unity and solidarity,” said UAE FA General Secretary Mohammed Hazzam Al Dhaheri.

With the AFC Champions League (West) in Sharjah, we established the UAE's ability to host world-class tournaments.

“We are organizing over 14 national team camps and international friendly games in preparation for World Cup qualifiers, showcasing the UAE's superior football infrastructure. We are excited to welcome the participating teams and to be Asia's only country to stage two groups of Asian qualifiers.”

The UAE would also organize the matches in Group G, which comprises the host and ASEAN rivals Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, on June 3 at the Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium and the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai.

The UAE Football Association (UAEFA) announced on Tuesday that fans would be permitted to watch the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifying matches in Dubai this month.

After receiving clearance from the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and the Crisis and Disaster Management Team in Dubai, the UAEFA issued the statement.

As per the decision, the Group G matches at Zabeel Stadium and Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai (from June 3 to June 15) would be attended at 30% capacity.

Fans must present a vaccination certificate or a negative Covid-19 test 48 hours before the commencement of the game.

The UAEFA's decision is consistent with their target to provide complete support to the national team, which is in a must-win position with their next four games to keep their World Cup qualification ambitions alive. Group G also includes Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.