Cayman World Cup qualifying games postponed to 2021

Due to concerns over COVID-19, the Cayman Islands qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has been postponed.

Concacaf issued a press release Tuesday (8 September) evening stating the following; Concacaf has held recent discussions with its member associations, FIFA and other stakeholders as the confederation continues to plan for the resumption of its competitions across the region.

Following those discussions, Concacaf and FIFA have jointly agreed that the Concacaf Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will not be played in the FIFA match windows of October or November 2020, and will instead begin with the first round in the FIFA match window of March 2021.

Many parts of the region continue to have very challenging public health situations, and that has been a key factor in this decision. Additionally, several countries across the confederation have travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, which would make international football involving 30 national teams extremely difficult.

The Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) president Alfredo Whittaker told Cay 03 Sports, that he is in support of the decision made by Concacaf and FIFA.

“For the Cayman Islands it is good that the dates are pushed back, since our borders remain closed,” said Whittaker. “I am sure that between now and March the government will allow more spectators to attend all sporting events. This delay will give us more time to prepare and get organized.” 

Concacaf will work with FIFA over the next few weeks to finalize a new schedule, beginning with the first round in March 2021, where Cayman is expected to open against Suriname.