Football Federation Australia (FFA) said on Thursday it has called off a training camp in Europe and scrapped plans for matches against England and the United States in London next month due to the worsening COVID-19 crisis on the continent.
The FFA had been close to confirming dates for the November friendlies but said the "ongoing and worsening COVID-19 landscape across Europe" had forced it to reconsider.
"Following the latest advice from medical professionals, FFA will not be proceeding with activities in Europe at this time," the governing body said in a statement. "FFA is committed to ensuring Australia’s national teams at all levels return to action as soon as possible, however ensuring the health and wellbeing of players and staff remains FFA’s foremost priority."
.@FFA today announced that it will not be proceeding with plans to assemble national team squads in Europe in November 2020 due to the ongoing and evolving risks associated with COVID-19. https://t.co/jFgiNVBZnx
— Socceroos (@Socceroos) October 22, 2020
The decision means the Socceroos will not play a competitive match in 2020, with the next international window in March 2021.
England's FA said on Wednesday they would face Ireland in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on Nov. 12 ahead of their last two UEFA Nations League group fixtures away to Belgium on Nov. 15 and home to Iceland on Nov. 18. New Zealand were to have met England at Wembley in November but pulled out citing player unavailability and travel restrictions arising from the pandemic.
A total of 26,688 novel coronavirus cases were reported in Britain on Wednesday, the country's highest daily total to date, and a further 191 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to government data.
