China to host National Football Team for World Cup, AFC Qualifiers
Four nations from the Asian region will have the chance to play in the 2022 World Cup
Maldives currently holds the fourth spot in Group A with six points from four matches played
The National Football Team is scheduled to play the rest of their Group A qualifying matches in the FIFA World Cup and AFC Qualifiers in China beginning 31 May.
The AFC had decided to centralize qualifying matches in light of the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic. As such, Maldives will be playing in Group A qualifiers, matches for which will be held in China later this year between 31 May and 15 June.
While China is set to host, Maldives has three matches left to play in the Group A qualifiers. This includes matches against China, Syria and Philippines. The Maldives-Syria confrontation will be played at home.
Qualifiers have been delayed three times following the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic, with the final decision having been made to host centralized matches in May and June this year for the World Cup and AFC Qualifiers.
The present AFC schedule will see qualifiers end on 15 March, and the final round of matches played in September 2021, according to the decision by AFC's Competition Department.
Four nations from the Asian region will have the chance to play in the 2022 World Cup. As of now, Maldives is fourth place in the qualifiers with six points from four matches. Syria holds first place in Group A with 15 points from five matches, followed by China in second with seven points from four matches played. Philippines are in third with seven points from five matches, and Guam close out behind Maldives in fifth with one point from five matches played.
