Uefa Prepared to Shut Door on Russia Despite IOC Move
Uefa is ready to prevent Russian football teams from returning to international competition, according to sources cited by The Guardian, even after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted Russia’s suspension from global sport.
Russia has been banned from football since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Fifa imposed the suspension at the time and, following the IOC’s announcement this week, said it would “analyse the decision before deciding on next steps.” Fifa president Gianni Infantino has made little secret of his desire to bring Russia back into the fold, and he told Sky News in February that the ban “has not achieved anything, it has just created more frustration and hatred.”
However, Uefa’s position appears markedly different. Sources at several national associations told The Guardian that there is no realistic prospect of Russian clubs or national sides being welcomed back into European football. Crucially, because World Cup qualifying in Europe is administered by Uefa, this effectively means Russia would be locked out of the road to World Cup 2026 and beyond. England, Germany and France are among the major associations firmly opposed to any reintegration.
Uefa previously had to scrap plans to allow Russian youth sides back into European competition after a backlash from more than a dozen member associations. With Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin standing for re-election next year, he is unlikely to risk repeating that episode by pushing something so unpopular with his electorate.
Fifa has floated the possibility of routing Russia through another confederation for qualifying purposes — as it does with Israel, who compete in European qualification — but even that workaround could trigger a boycott threat from European nations if Russia managed to reach the tournament. You can follow all the latest qualification picture at our live standings.
The Russia dispute arrives at an already fractious moment between Fifa and Uefa. The two bodies clashed publicly this week after Fifa’s disciplinary committee lifted Folarin Balogun’s suspension ahead of the USA’s last-16 defeat by Belgium at the current World Cup — a move Uefa described as crossing “a red line” that threatened the tournament’s integrity.
As for the Olympics, the IOC has made clear that individual sports govern their own decisions on Russia. Football is unaffected for 2028 in any case, as qualification tournaments are already under way.