THE Digicel national football team, known as the ‘Bula Boys’, will play Vanuatu in one of two warm-up games scheduled ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Oceania qualifiers in Qatar next month.
Fiji will play Vanuatu in Qatar on March 10 with the opponent for the second warm-up game on March 13 yet to be finalised.
Fiji Football Association chief executive officer Mohammed Yusuf said with the cancellation of a tour to Melbourne, the national team would head to Qatar early.
Yusuf said they had slots for two warm-up games before their opening Group B qualifying match against New Caledonia on March 18.
“We have already arranged for one warm-up game which is against Vanuatu on March 10,” he said.
“We are trying to organise for a game against a professional club based in Qatar or play the Qatar national team on March 13.
“Our team will arrive in Qatar on March 6 and will spend two days in quarantine.
“They will train on March 9 and the first warm-up game is on the following day.
“The side will train on March 11 and 12, followed by the next warm-up game on March 13.
“There will be recovery on March 14 and 15. The final training sessions will be held on March 16 and 17 and then the opening match on March 18.”
Fiji will play New Zealand on March 21 and Papua New Guinea on March 24 in its other group matches.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is set to be played in Qatar from November 21 to December 18 with Oceania getting a 0.5 spot.
This means the winner of the Oceania qualifiers will book a spot in an inter-confederation play-off and face the fourth placed team from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
