Russia may return to FIFA competition via U-15 World Cup
FIFA has announced that its inaugural U-15 World Cup in October, to be held in Azerbaijan, is open to all member associations, potentially allowing Russia to participate for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
FIFA has announced that its first U-15 World Cup and Festival, scheduled to take place in Azerbaijan from October 22 to 31, will be open to all 211 member associations, including Russia. This could mark Russia's first participation in a FIFA event since the ban imposed following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In 2023, FIFA partially lifted the suspension on Russian U-17 boys' and girls' teams, allowing them to potentially compete. However, several European countries, including Ukraine and England, have continued to boycott matches against Russian teams due to the ongoing war. Consequently, Russian U-17 sides have not taken part in FIFA or UEFA tournaments.
The U-15 World Cup is an inaugural event. The first edition in 2026 will feature only boys' teams. According to FIFA's announcement on Wednesday, the second edition in 2027 will be exclusively for girls' teams. Starting in 2028, all member associations will be invited to participate with both their boys' and girls' U-15 teams in two separate competitions.
The potential inclusion of Russia in the tournament may draw political criticism, but FIFA's policy of opening the event to all members leaves the decision to Russia. No official confirmation of a Russian team's participation has been made.
