Rio de Janeiro, Sep 15 (IANS): The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has said that last-minute changes could be made to its 2022 World Cup qualifying tournament amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The region's qualifiers are scheduled to begin in October, more than six months later than originally planned because of the global health crisis, reports Xinhua news agency.

"In most operational aspects, FIFA will allow flexibility in relation to the match schedule and venues," read a CONMEBOL statement.

CONMEBOL said strict sanitary protocols would be adopted for the tournament, in accordance with requirements in each of the confederation's 10 member nations.

It added that a meeting would be held with FIFA officials on Tuesday to address issues related to the competition "at the highest level".

The region's premier club tournament, the Copa Libertadores, is due to resume on Tuesday, having been suspended in mid-March.

In the opening round of CONMEBOL qualifiers, beginning on October 8, Colombia host Venezuela, Uruguay are home to Chile, Bolivia visit Brazil, Paraguay welcome Peru and Ecuador travel to Argentina.