<p>St. Lucia has withdrawn from qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.</p>
<p>FIFA made the announcement Thursday, when St. Lucia was to have played Nicaragua in the delayed start of qualifying in North and Central America and the Caribbean.</p>
<p>Nicaragua, Haiti and Belize remain in Group E; the group winner faces a team from Group B — Canada, Aruba, Bermuda, Cayman Islands or Suriname — in a two-match playoff for a berth in the eight-nation regional final round that starts in September and will produce three qualifiers.</p>
<p>FIFA did not announce a reason for the withdrawal, saying in a statement that “further details will follow in due course.”</p>
<p>St. Lucia, a Caribbean island nation ranked 175th, is the first of 211 nations to withdraw from qualifying, which has been reconfigured due to the coronavirus pandemic. Host Qatar is guaranteed a berth, and the other nations are competing for 31 slots in the tournament, to be played from Nov. 21 to Dec. 18 next year.</p>
<p>FIFA’s disciplinary committee may impose sanctions for a withdrawal, but sanctions usually are contemplated in the event of a boycott. </p>
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