On July 3, the AFC released heavy news that the group draw for the 12-team Asian qualifying round of the World Qualifying Tournament was unveiled, and tightened up to notify the participating associations that they need to report their home tournament arrangements within two weeks.
Despite the ongoing international epidemic, FIFA and the AFC insisted on a home-and-away system. In the face of uncertainty, the AFC, in addition to requiring the reporting of preferred home venues, has also added alternative time venues to cope with possible emergencies.
In a video conference in late June, FIFA and AFC not only confirmed the tournament system, but also made plans for unforeseen circumstances. If a team is unable to play at its established home ground, its member association is required to report an alternative plan 10 days in advance, or choose a third place to play.
The AFC stipulates that participating associations need to report information before July 16th. China's Football Association has begun to examine the home stadium for the Top 12, with cities such as Shanghai becoming candidates. In addition, neutral venues or third-party venues need to be considered.
As a precautionary measure, our Football Association has formulated various plans in advance. For example, if a mainland city is unable to host the match, our Federation may choose venues in other AFC member association countries or regions as alternative home venues, such as Macau, China.
Shanghai Pudong Stadium
It is reported that the same group of rivals have also started to pick their home venues. The Japan Football Association (JFA) intends to arrange the home matches of the Japanese team in the Kansai region, and the home stadium of Gamba Osaka may be a candidate venue. Meshal, the president of the Saudi Football Association, said that the home stadium will be chosen by considering the atmosphere of each city, the number of fans and other factors, and the Riyadh Stadium is more likely.
The Vietnam Football Association (VFA) has said it will arrange the team's home ground at Hanoi's My Dinh Stadium if approved by the government. The situation of the Australian team is of great concern, as the Chinese team will challenge Australia away in the first round, but Australia is currently under strict anti-epidemic measures, and the federation has not yet determined whether the government will allow the team to compete on home soil.
