Soccer-Syria to play home ties of Asian World Cup qualifiers at neutral venues

Syria will play their home World Cup qualifying ties at neutral venues, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Thursday without giving a reason for the switch. The top two in Group A and B progress to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while the third-placed teams enter a series of playoffs for a possible fifth place for Asian countries.

Syria will play their home World Cup qualifying ties at neutral venues, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Thursday without giving a reason for the switch. Syria, who are bottom of Group A in the Asian qualifiers with two points from six games but still have a chance of finishing third and reaching the playoffs, will now face South Korea in the United Arab Emirates on Feb. 1, 2022.

Syria last played at home in a 3-0 defeat by Iran in Amman on Nov. 16 -- a result which led to the sacking of head coach Nizar Mahrous nL1N2S72GT. The top two in Group A and B progress to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while the third-placed teams enter a series of playoffs for a possible fifth place for Asian countries.

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