Last summer, football saw international competitions like UEFA Euro 2020 and the Copa América canceled.
Nonetheless, later this year, these tournaments will return this upcoming summer; however, there will be changes to the Copa América. CONMEBOL initially had invited two nations from the Asian Football Confederation, Qatar, and Australia, to participate in the South American tournament.
However, with the Asian Football Federation scheduling its 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixtures during the summer, it conflicts with its schedule. As a result, Qatar and Australia will withdraw, Diario AS reports.
The tournament doesn’t begin until June, so the South American federation could look to invite two other nations to fill that spot or proceed with the competition as already constructed. No decision has yet been made on the matter.
Along with the news that their Asian football invitees had to withdraw, CONMEBOL’s Deputy Secretary-General for Football commented that the idea would be to have at least 30-percent of the stadiums filled for the tournament taking place in Argentina and Colombia.