As the second half of the Asian Qualifiers kicks off, Guam has become China's first opponent, and on May 23rd, Guam's players arrived at Shanghai's Pudong International Airport on their way back from Beijing time. After a rigorous physical examination and medical quarantine review, the team will depart for Suzhou on the following day to be stationed in the Group A epidemic-proof red zone.
The Guam team's journey began on May 20, when they departed Guam and flew to San Francisco, USA, where they met up with their teammates in the U.S., before connecting with a flight from San Francisco to Shanghai.
The match, originally scheduled for June 11, was finally decided to be moved up to May 30 as a result of consultations between the Chinese Football Association (CFA), the Guam Football Association (GFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The Guam team also expressed its need to arrive in China a week earlier to prepare for the match in order to acclimatize to the climate and field conditions.
In addition, the Guam team made the request because the island only has an artificial pasture located within the National Training Center, lacking natural pastures, and they wanted better training conditions. Eventually, the CFA agreed to the request.
According to regulations, upon arrival at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the Guam team must strictly comply with epidemic prevention measures, undergo a physical examination and be isolated for observation at a designated location.
After completing all physicals, the Guam team will depart from the quarantine site and be transported directly to the Soo tournament to stay in the quarantine-proof Red Zone.
