Vanuatu withdraw from World Cup qualifying due to COVID-19

Vanuatu have pulled out of Oceania's qualification tournament for this year's World Cup finals in Qatar due to a majority of their players and staff testing positive for COVID-19, the country's football federation (VFF) said on Saturday.

Vanuatu's first match of the tournament against Tahiti on March 17 was postponed due to a number of positive COVID-19 cases in their camp. Vanuatu were then scheduled to play Solomon Islands on Sunday.

Oceania, which does not have an automatic spot at the World Cup, is staging a mini-tournament in Doha to decide which team advance to an intercontinental playoff for a place at the finals.

"Vanuatu's next match day is in the next two days, and VFF do not have sufficient time to replace the players and officials ... The current circumstances are beyond their control," the governing body said in a statement.

"Under the Ministry of Public Health regulations for the State of Qatar Healthcare Protocol, the positive cases must isolate for a minimum period of seven days.

"The VFF Executive Committee is seeking the assistance of the OFC and FIFA if there is the possibility to waive the disciplinary sanctions regarding the withdrawal of the team."

The winners of the March 17-30 competition will face the fourth-placed team from the CONCACAF region, which features sides from North and Central America and the Caribbean.

(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by David Clarke)