COVID-19: CAF announces new dates for postponed 2022 World Cup qualifiers

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has postponed the continent’s group stages of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

In a statement on Thursday, the continental body also said that the World Cup qualification games are now scheduled to take place in September, October and November 2021, and March 2022.

The CAF emergency committee, in consultation with FIFA, decided to postpone the qualifiers — earlier scheduled for June this year — because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The CAF Emergency Committee, in consultation with FIFA, decided to postpone the CAF qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™️ that were due to be played in June 2021 after taking into consideration the current challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need to ensure the optimal playing conditions for all participating teams,” the statement read.

“The qualifiers will now take place in the existing windows of September, October and November 2021, and March 2022.

“CAF is reassessing its protocols and processes to enhance the implementation of COVID-related protocols, including specifically focusing on pre-match testing which had been the source of some challenges in previous windows.”

The Super Eagles are in group C alongside Liberia, Cape Verde, and the Central African Republic.

Earlier in the week, CAF had listed approved stadia for the Qatar 2022 qualifiers but more than a quarter of the 40 teams competing for a place in the World Cup are without venues to play their home matches.

Super Eagles had six stadia approved for their home matches for the qualifiers.

But Liberia and Central African Republic were asked to look for alternative venues outside their countries after FIFA failed to approve their home stadia.

Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Namibia, Niger, and Sierra Leone are the other countries affected.

The 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, 2022.