South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in September and October will run as triple matchdays ©Getty Images

FIFA has announced that the South American qualifiers for its World Cup 2022 qualifiers in September and October will run as triple matchdays.

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) postponed its qualifying matches in March 2021 as several European clubs refused to release their players because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

FIFA’s temporary amendments permitted clubs to prevent players from joining their national team if they had to quarantine for at least five days on their return.

Each of CONMEBOL’s 10 members were due to play two matches in March.

The Confederation requested these be moved to the upcoming international windows in September and October.

The Bureau of the FIFA Council sanctioned CONMEBOL’s request for each country to play three matches in both rounds of qualifiers because of the exceptional circumstances in South America.

It also extended these international windows by two days to 11 days, which FIFA claimed was in the interests of player welfare, the integrity of the competition and players’ returns to their clubs, providing sufficient rest and preparation.

The 2021 Copa América was also affected by COVID-19, being moved twice and with all but the final being played behind closed doors ©Getty Images
The 2021 Copa América was also affected by COVID-19, being moved twice and with all but the final being played behind closed doors ©Getty Images

The 2021 Copa América earlier this summer was held behind closed doors in Brazil because of the pandemic, although the Maracanã Stadium was permitted to be filled to 10 per cent of its capacity for the final between Argentina and Brazil.

The tournament had already been moved twice at short notice: firstly from Colombia due to security and political issues related to mass protests, and then from Argentina due to COVID-19 concerns.

Australia and Qatar were also due to take part in the competition but withdrew in February.

As part of World Cup qualifying, each country in South America plays one another home and away, with the top four qualifying automatically and the fifth-placed team entering a play-off with a country from either Asia, North and Central America and the Caribbean, or Oceania.

Qualifiers for the 2022 tournament in Qatar began in October 2020, and six matches have been played so far, including two matchdays in June before the Copa América.

Brazil - the only country to appear at every World Cup - Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay currently occupy the top four places, with Colombia in the play-off spot.

The round-robin is due to be completed in March 2022, with the World Cup in Qatar starting on November 21.