The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed the dates for the rescheduled 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, with the second round set to finish before the end of the calendar year.
The 40-team “Second Round” of the AFC’S FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament is reaching its final stages, and the confederation is determined to finish this round within the year.
Teams in this round have either three or four matches left to play, and thus can be completed with just two more international breaks. Their most recent meeting has produced a comprehensive schedule for the upcoming qualifying matches.
The matches will now take place over two international breaks towards the end of the year. The first will see games played on October 8th and 13th, while the final matches will occur on November 12th and 17th.
The AFC will be looking for a similar solution for the AFC Champions League, the continent’s premier club competition, but could face significantly more challenges as that tournament is still in its early stages.