The All India Football Federation (AIFF) remains hopeful of hosting the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in November this year despite the threat imposed by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, said AIFF general secretary Kushal Das.

Though the scheduled date of the tournament is still seven months away, the ongoing situation has forced FIFA to inspect the prevailing circumstances in India. And Das, too, admitted that the final call will be taken by the international governing body.

“FIFA will take a call on this, they are keeping track of all the developments and we will see how it goes. Yes, there is still a lot of time left and we will wait and watch the developments in the coming time,” Das was quoted as saying by PTI.

Das is aware that the European and African qualifiers of the World Cup are yet to take place. However, earlier reports had stated that FIFA was working closely with representatives of all the confederations and other stakeholders regarding the dates of their respective qualifying matches as only three teams have made it to the finals of the 16-team event so far.

India has qualified as the host nation, while North Korea (winner) and Japan (runner-up) progressed from the Asian qualifiers for the U-17 Women’s World Cup to be played from November 2 to 21 in Navi Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar and Guwahati.

“FIFA is currently monitoring developments regarding the coronavirus outbreak in India to decide the future of the U-17 Women’s World Cup which is slated to be held in the country in November,” PTI had quoted the apex body as saying.

“With public health and safety in mind, FIFA is also working with the Local Organising Committee to identify any potential impact on preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2020, as well as finding alternative solutions to upcoming events that were planned in India in the lead up to the tournament,” it added.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the sporting calendars across the world with football being the worst-hit. Other than the club competitions, upcoming major international fixtures have either been cancelled or postponed until further notice.

The Euro 2020 and the Copa America 2020 have been postponed to the summer of 2021, forcing FIFA to reschedule the Club World Cup due to happen at that time. The parent body of the sport had to cancel some of the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup as well.