Coronavirus timeline: How COVID-19 has affected football in Britain and around the globe

Coronavirus has caused world football to grind to a halt as governments across the globe tighten measures to combat the spread of the virus.
Coronavirus timeline: How COVID-19 has affected football in Britain and around the globeCoronavirus timeline: How COVID-19 has affected football in Britain and around the globe
Coronavirus timeline: How COVID-19 has affected football in Britain and around the globe

Here, we take a look at how the events of the past three months have panned out and the effect COVID-19 is having on football.

Simply scroll down to take a look at our coronavirus in football timeline:

22 January

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Olympic women's football qualifiers moved from Wuhan to Nanjing, before later being switched to Sydney.

29 January

The home leg of the Chinese women's national team's Olympic qualification play-off against South Korea in March is switched to Sydney.

The squad were held in quarantine upon their arrival in Australia for January's qualifying group stage.

30 January

The Chinese Football Association says domestic games at all levels will be postponed due to COVID-19

4 February

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Asian Champions League matches involving Chinese clubs Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG are postponed until April.

7 February

Vietnam explains it won’t allow sports events to be hosted in February, meaning home AFC Cup group stage matches for Ho Chi Minh City and Than Quang Ninh are switched to away fixtures.

11 February

The Asian Football Confederation says preliminary stage matches of the AFC Cup are postponed until April because of travel curbs in several countries.

21 February

China's 2022 World Cup qualifiers at home to Maldives and away to Guam are moved to Thailand and will be played behind closed doors in March.

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Daegu FC and Pohang Steelers home fixtures in South Korea's K-League are postponed.

23 February

Serie A matches in the northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are postponed.

Several matches in Serie B and Serie D, as well as a number of amateur and youth games, are also called off.

24 February

The start of the K-League season is postponed, with the four teams in the AFC Champions League playing matches behind closed doors.

25 February

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Japan's J-League postpones all domestic games until the middle of March.

Five matches in the next round of fixtures in Italy's Serie A are ordered to be played behind closed doors.

28 February

The weekend's matches in Switzerland's top two divisions were postponed, and the World Anti-Doping Agency cancelled next month's annual symposium in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

29 February

Five Serie A matches, including Juventus' game at home to Inter Milan, that were due to be played on the weekend of 29 February and 1 March were postponed following the outbreak of the virus in Italy.

1 March

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The Serie A match between Sampdoria and Hellas Verona, scheduled for 2 March, is also postponed.

2 March

The Swiss Football League is suspended until 23 March following a meeting between all 20 clubs.

International Champions Cup matches due to take place in Asia this summer are cancelled.

4 March

Italy's sports minister says Serie A games may be played behind closed doors in an effort to contain coronavirus.

5 March

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Valencia's Champions League last-16 tie at home to Atalanta on 10 March will be played behind closed doors in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The Premier League bans pre-match handshakes to help prevent the spread of the virus.

The Morocco Football Federation orders all matches in the country to be played behind closed doors until further notice.

6 March

Paris St-Germain's league fixture at Strasbourg is postponed.

8 March

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UEFA bans pre-match handshakes between players and officials in all its competitions until further notice.

All Bulgarian league matches over the next two rounds will be played behind closed doors and all sporting events in the Pleven and Gabrovo regions of the country are postponed.

9 March

Sport at all levels in Italy to be suspended until at least 3 April, the country's prime minister announces.

The UK Government says there is 'no rationale' for cancelling sport events in the Britain.

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Olympiakos-Wolves and Sevilla-Roma in the Europa League, scheduled to be played on 12 March, will take place behind closed doors.

The Romanian Football Federation announces all league matches will be played behind closed doors until further notice.

The Asian qualifiers for the Qatar World Cup in 2022, due to be played on 23-31 March and 1-9 June, are postponed.

Paris St-Germain's Champions League last-16 match against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday will be played behind closed doors.

10 March

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The Italian football federation says Serie A season may not finish because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Chelsea's Champions League last-16 second leg at Bayern Munich on 18 March will be played behind closed doors.

Nottingham Forest confirm owner Evangelos Marinakis has coronavirus.

Manchester United's Europa League last-16 first leg at Austrian side LASK on 12 March to be played behind closed doors.

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The Republic of Ireland's Euro 2020 play-off against Slovakia on 26 March will be played behind closed doors.

Matches in the top two divisions in Spain and France to be played behind closed doors for at least the next two weeks.

Barcelona's Champions League game against Napoli on 18 March will be played behind closed doors at the Nou Camp.

Borussia Monchengladbach's Bundesliga game against Cologne to be played behind closed doors.

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Poland's top-flight the Ekstraklasa to be played behind closed doors until further notice.

Japan's J League is suspended until at least 3 April having initially postponed matches until 18 March.

11 March

Manchester City's Premier League match with Arsenal on 11 March is postponed as a "precautionary measure" - and several Gunners players put into self-isolation.

Juventus and Italy defender Daniele Rugani tests positive for virus.

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The Europa League ties between Sevilla and Roma in Spain and Inter Milan's match against Getafe on 12 March are postponed.

Rangers' Europa League game at Bayer Leverkusen on 19 March and the Eintracht Frankfurt-Basel tie on 12 March in the same competition to be played behind closed doors.

Seattle Sounders against FC Dallas on 21 March in the MLS is postponed.

Four-team tournament in Qatar from 26-30 March involving Belgium, Portugal, Croatia and Switzerland is cancelled.

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French League Cup final between Paris St Germain and Lyon on 4 April is postponed.

Spanish Cup final between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad in Seville on 18 April is postponed.

Timo Hubers, who plays for German second tier side Hannover, tests positive for coronavirus.

12 March

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the government is considering banning sporting fixtures but it will not happen immediately.

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UEFA calls emergency meeting for Tuesday at which possibility of postponing Euro 2020 by one year will be discussed.

Conmebol qualifiers, including Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, scheduled to take place between 23-31 March for the 2022 World Cup, are postponed.

The Premier League announces it will hold an emergency club meeting on Friday to discuss future fixtures.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tests positive for coronavirus and Saturday's Premier League fixture against Brighton is postponed.

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Second leg of Manchester City's last-16 Champions League tie against Real Madrid, scheduled for Tuesday 17 March, is postponed.

A Real Madrid basketball player, who shares training facilities with the La Liga club, tests positive for the virus.

Spanish top flight La Liga is suspended for at least next two rounds of matches.

MLS suspends matches for 30 days.

Danish Football Association cancels all football activities in the country for two weeks.

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Bosnia-Herzegovina request Uefa postpones the home Euro 2020 play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland on 26 March.

Three Leicester players self-isolating after showing symptoms of coronavirus.

Juventus announces 121 members of staff, including players, are self-isolating after defender Daniele Rugani tested positive for coronavirus.

Sampdoria striker Manolo Gabbiadini tests positive for coronavirus.

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Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy is self-isolating after one of his family members is taken ill showing signs of coronavirus.

13 March

Domestic football at all levels in Wales is suspended until at least 4 April due to coronavirus.

The men's and women's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, scheduled for 25-31 March, are postponed.

Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc and four first-team staff self-isolate after showing symptoms of the virus.

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Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi tests positive for coronavirus and Chelsea men's team squad are self-isolating.

Everton's first-team squad and coaching staff self-isolate after a first-team player shows symptoms of the virus.

UEFA suspends all football competitions due to be played on 17 and 18 March.

French football's governing body suspends all Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches.

14 March

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Morocco's football federation suspends all football activity in the country until further notice.

Five of Saturday's 11 National League games are called off, despite the league's board - allowing fixtures in its three divisions to go ahead as planned.

Barnet's squad goes into self-isolation after four members of staff show signs of coronavirus. Tuesday's National League match against Barrow is postponed.

The international friendly between Germany and Italy, scheduled to take place in Nuremberg, Germany on 31 March, is cancelled.

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On-loan Wolves forward Patrick Cutrone is one of two more players at Fiorentina to test positive for coronavirus.

15 March

Five Valencia players and staff are "in good health" after testing positive for coronavirus.

Swiss Football Association president Dominique Blanc tests positive for coronavirus.

Boreham Wood's National League home match against Halifax on Tuesday is called off.

Mexico's Liga MX is suspended.

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Brazilian Football Confederation suspends all national competitions until further notice.

16 March

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says from Tuesday the Government would no longer be supporting mass gatherings with emergency workers.

All football and cricket in South Africa is cancelled.

The German Football League (DFL) announces a suspension of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 until April 3, but warned it was likely to last longer, with a review to take place on 30 March.

The final six rounds of the Australian A-League season are to be played behind closed doors.

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The National League, the fifth tier of English football, is suspended until at least 3 April.

The Northern Premier League, the seventh-tier of English football, announces all fixtures are suspended until further notice.

Football Association advise grass roots football in England to be postponed.

EFL chairman Rick Parry says no decisions have been taken regarding the next steps after games were suspended until 3 April because of coronavirus.

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The PFA postpones its annual awards ceremony, which was due to take place on 26 April.

17 March

Euro 2020 has been postponed until 2021.

Liverpool announce the final Hillsborough memorial service, due to take place at Anfield on 15 April, is postponed.

The two-legged play-off between Cameroon & Chile for a place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, initially scheduled for April, is postponed.

The African Nations Championship, for players who are based in Africa, is postponed.

18 March

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The Asian Football Confederation announces all matches in the AFC Cup tournament, the second-tier club competition, are postponed. Games in the west of Asia had already been suspended.

La Liga club Deportivo Alaves announce 15 staff members - including three players - have tested positive for coronavirus.

The Leasing.com Trophy final between Portsmouth and Salford City on 5 April is postponed.

19 March

English football is suspended until 30 April at the earliest, with the end of the 2019-20 season extended indefinitely.

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Borussia Monchengladbach's players and coaching staff accept pay cuts during the coronavirus crisis.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) suspends its football league for four weeks due to the outbreak.

Major League Soccer extends the suspension of all matches, with a target return date of 10 May.

The Turkish Super Lig is suspended - the last major European league to do so.

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Rotherham manager Paul Warne confirms two of his players are in self-isolation after displaying symptoms of coronavirus.

21 March

Southampton chief executive Martin Semmens suggests the Premier League could resume before virus restrictions are lifted.

Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz dies after being taken to hospital with coronavirus.

Juventus and Argentina forward Paulo Dybala and former Italy captain Paolo Maldini test positive for coronavirus.

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Three Portsmouth players - James Bolton, Andy Cannon and Sean Raggett - test positive for coronavirus.

22 March

Former Manchester United and Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who plays for Chinese club Shandong Luneng, confirms he has tested positive for coronavirus.

23 March

All football in Spain, including La Liga, is put on hold indefinitely while the country deals with the spread of coronavirus.

The Irish Football Association extends the suspension of the football season in Northern Ireland until 30 April.

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UEFA postpones the Champions League and Europa League finals as well as the Women's Champions League final.

25 March

In a statement, League One club Portsmouth reveals that Ross McCrorie had tested positive for the virus – joining James Bolton, Andy Cannon, Haji Mnoga and Sean Raggett.