UAE Football Association tweeted on Tuesday that stadiums can operate at 80 per cent capacity during football matches. The Association said that only fully vaccinated spectators will be allowed to attend the matches in stadiums.

Earlier, the stadium capacity for football matches held in UAE was limited to 60 per cent.

The announcement to increase the stadium capacity came when UAE’s national team is all set to play their Thursday’s World Cup qualifying match in Dubai, against Iran at the Zabeel Stadium. After Thursday’s match with Iran, UAE will play against Iraq in their next match at the same Dubai’s stadium on October 12.

Twelve football teams have been divided into two groups of six each in the third round of the AFC World Cup qualifiers. UAE is standing strong at third position in Group A after Iran and South Korea with two points after playing two matches. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the World Cup next year.

The two teams at third place from each group will have a playoff battle in the fourth round. The winner will advance to an inter-confederation playoff to secure its place in the World Cup.