CONMEBOL confirms June World Cup qualifiers

RIO DE JANEIRO -- South America's 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will resume in June with each team to play two matches before the Copa America, regional football confederation CONMEBOL said on Thursday.

One match day has been slated for June 3-4 and another for June 8, according to a statement on CONMEBOL's official website.

Five-time World Cup winners Brazil will face Ecuador and Paraguay while two-time champions Argentina will confront Chile and Colombia.

The Copa America - to be played in Argentina and Colombia - will start on June 13, marking the first time the tournament is staged in two countries.

The fifth and sixth rounds of South America's World Cup qualifying tournament were suspended in March because of COVID-19 travel restrictions in some countries.

CONMEBOL has said additional qualifiers will be scheduled in the second half of the year to ensure they are completed in time for the World Cup, to be played in Qatar from Nov 21 to Dec 18, 2022.

The top four teams at the end of the South American qualifying tournament will earn a direct World Cup berth while the fifth-ranked side will advance to an intercontinental playoff.