Football fans in the CONCACAF region will have to wait a bit further to see international football, as the governing body in the region and FIFA have decided to postpone the first stage of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, which were supposed to begin next month.
CONCACAF had revealed a change in their format for the 2022 WC Qualifiers, which will see thirty countries battling for six spots to the second round of the qualifiers. The winners of those ties would go on to enter the final round, where Mexico, the USMNT, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Honduras are already waiting. Now, instead of having international games being played in October and November, the start of the Qualifiers will be delayed to March 2021.
In a press release issued earlier today, CONCACAF admitted that the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on the region will forbid any international games from being played.
"Many parts of the region continue to have very challenging public health situations, and that has been a key factor in this decision. Additionally, several countries across the confederation have travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, which would make international football involving 30 national teams extremely difficult," the press release states.
CONCACAF and FIFA will determine at a further date when and how the Qualifiers will begin. Adding a new International break may be the solution to this problem, but that will be decided once the games begin.
