KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Monday decided to move the remaining centralised Group A matches of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 from China PR to a neutral venue, which will be decided and announced in the coming days.
"The decision was made due to the mounting challenges faced by several participating teams in travelling to China PR," the AFC said in an official statement.
The AFC is now working in close partnership with the Chinese Football Association and potential neutral venues, as well as the participating teams to arrange for the safe passage and wellbeing of all stakeholders while reiterating its commitment towards ensuring the successful completion of the Asian Qualifiers.
The Asian Qualifiers Group A matchday schedule will be updated based on the confirmation of the new venue.
However, it is the AFC's aim to complete all matches of the group by June 15, 2021, as originally planned.
Syria leads Group A with 15 points after registering five straight wins. China is in the second spot on 10 points after a 7-0 win over Guam on Sunday.
The second round of Asian Qualifiers have been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.