Concacaf qualifiers pushed back to March 2021

CONCACAF and FIFA have jointly agreed that the Concacaf Qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar have been pushed back to the March 2021 FIFA match window, according to a media release on the Concacaf website.

The media release said, "Concacaf has held recent discussions with its member associations, FIFA and other stakeholders as the confederation continues to plan for the resumption of its competitions across the region.

"Following those discussions, Concacaf and FIFA have jointly agreed that the Concacaf Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will not be played in the FIFA match windows of October or November 2020, and will instead begin with the first round in the FIFA match window of March 2021."

A key factor in this joint decision was the challenging public health situations faced by countries in the Concacaf region, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Additionally, several countries across the confederation have travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, which would make international football involving 30 national teams extremely difficult," the media release said.

"Concacaf will now work with FIFA to finalise a new schedule, beginning with the first round in March 2021, which will be communicated in due course."