The Socceroos’ bid to reach the World Cup has been put on hold after Fifa and the AFC agreed to postpone Asian qualifying matches in March and June due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Socceroos were scheduled to play Kuwait (home) and Nepal (away) this month, as well as Taiwan (home) and Jordan (home) in June, but those games will now be rescheduled.
China’s matches against Maldives at home and Guam away have already been moved to Thailand and were set to be played in an empty stadium, but more than two dozen other matches were scheduled around the continent on two match days on 26 and 31 March.
A further 32 games were scheduled to be played during the second international break on two match days on 4 and 9 June.
Fifa added that the matches could still go ahead if the member associations due to play each other mutually agree and safety standards are met, subject to prior approval from both Fifa and the AFC.
But Football Federation Australia said it would not pursue that option.
“Given FFA’s intent to put the health and welfare of all players, coaches, staff, and fans first, FFA will not to pursue qualification matches in March or June 2020, and will instead consider possible alternate activity options for the Socceroos in the respective windows over the coming days and weeks,” a statement read.
FFA added it was working with authorities in Western Australia to ensure the Kuwait fixture remains in Perth later this year.
Fifa said that upcoming qualifiers for the Olympic football tournaments were likely to be played as scheduled, with the exception of the playoff between South Korea and China.
But the Matildas, who can secure qualification for Tokyo when they meet Vietnam at Cam Pha Stadium on Wednesday, will play behind closed doors as a precautionary measure.