China's home match with Vietnam in World Cup Asian qualifiers to be held in UAE

KUALA LUMPUR - The World Cup 2022 Asian qualifiers Group B match between China and Vietnam in October will be held in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Monday.

The match scheduled for October 7 will be China's third match in the group.

The decision of a neutral venue was confirmed in light of the ongoing COVID-19 challenges faced by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) in organizing its home matches, AFC said in a statement.

Meanwhile, due to the security situation, Syria's home match against Lebanon in Group A on October 12 will be held at the neutral venue of the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman, Jordan, said AFC.

China lost to Australia 3-0 in its group opener last week. The match was held in Doha, Qatar after Australia was unable to host it due to the pandemic restrictions. China is set to play Japan on Tuesday in its first home match, which will also be held in Doha.