Philippine Azkals to head to UAE for AFC, FIFA joint qualifiers

The Philippine Azkals is now headed to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates after the middle eastern country replaced China as host of the joint Asian Qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

The Asian Football Confederation on Tuesday announced that the remaining seven games of Group A, which includes Syria, China, Maldives, Guam, and the Philippines, will be staged at the Sharjah Stadium under a "centralized" setup.

"These are indeed unprecedented times for everyone, and, on behalf of the AFC, I would like to thank the UAE FA for agreeing to host the Group A matches of the Asian Qualifiers," said AFC General Secretary Dato' Windsor John.

"The UAE FA's commitment to host the matches within such a short lead time is testament to their spirit of understanding and organizational excellence, and we are confident that they will provide the best possible environment for our teams and players."

Currently, the Azkals are still in a training camp in Doha, Qatar as part of their buildup for their matches against Maldives, China, and Guam, which the Filipinos were supposed to take on this Thursday. 

The AFC, meanwhile, gave assurance to all stakeholders that the competitions will push through safely and virus-free.

"The AFC outlined its desire to ensure the safe and successful resumption of the Asian Qualifiers and we are determined to deliver on our plans, keeping in mind the highest health protocols, for the benefit of all our participating teams, players, fans and key stakeholders."

Schedules of the games, according to AFC, will be determined in the coming days pending the discussions with the teams regarding their arrival schedule.

—Bea Micaller/MGP, GMA News