KUALA LUMPUR: Asian Cup champions Qatar have been invited to the CONCACAF Gold Cup, becoming the first side from the Middle East to take part in the tournament following a joint agreement between the two confederations.

Qatar, who host the next men’s World Cup finals in 2022, have been invited to the Gold Cup next year and in 2023, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said in a statement on Thursday.

AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said the agreement that was signed in 2017 was designed for not only greater co-operation between the confederations but also to help develop match officials and operational staff.

“We saw the obvious opportunities for both confederations to help and improve each other both in terms of performances on the field — of teams, players and match officials as well as operations staff — and, just as importantly, the continued development of the game across our continents,” Sheikh Salman said in a statement.

”Qatar ... can continue to grow their own knowledge of international football following on from last year’s AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 as well as the Copa America. We are sure everyone will benefit from Qatar’s presence in the competition.”

Qatar will be the second Asian team to take part in the Gold Cup, which is the continental tournament for teams from the CONCACAF region of North and Central America and the Caribbean, after South Korea were invited in 2000 and 2002 before co-hosting the World Cup with Japan.

Qatar won their first Asian Cup title last year with a 3-1 win over Japan in the final in the United Arab Emirates. The Qatar national team is 55th in the FIFA world rankings, and is Asia’s fifth-highest ranked team behind Japan, Iran, South Korea and Australia. Qatar also played in the 2019 Copa America in Brazil.

The Malaysia-based AFC said the involvement of Qatar in the Gold Cup provided a strong link between the organising committees of the 2022 World Cup and the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the CONCACAF region.

CONCACAF announced Qatar’s participation along with format tweaks for the 2021 edition of the tournament.

There will be a preliminary round to decide the final three spots in the group stage, a first-ever Gold Cup draw on September 28 and quarter-finals matching teams from opposite groups in the 2021 event, which kicks off July 10.

Qatar will join 12 North American teams that booked their spots in the group stage through the CONCACAF Nations League, including defending champion Mexico, the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Curacao, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Panama, Martinique and Suriname.

Three other group stage spots will go to qualifiers from a 12-team preliminary round knockout event from July 2-6, 2021, at a US venue.

Those teams are Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cuba, French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Montserrat, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.

Prior Gold Cups saw teams face sides from their own group until the final, but now they will cross groups to open the last eight knockout matches.

It is likely that most top players will skip the tournament and be off for a break following World Cup qualifying in June and the start of 2021-22 European club seasons.

“The CONCACAF Gold Cup continues to grow as a competition and we are hugely excited at the prospect of the 2021 edition,” CONCACAF president and FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani said.

“After such a challenging time for communities across the region and the world, we hope the return of international football, and the prospect of another great Gold Cup, can provide some hope and enjoyment for fans.”

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2020