The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has allowed representatives of all its members to participate in the newly created U-15 World Youth Championship.
This is stated in a statement from the federationʼs press service.
The statement does not specifically mention Russia. But the dpa agency writes that the wording about the participation of all FIFA members also applies to Russia and Belarus.
The FIFA U-15 World Championship will be held in Azerbaijan from October 22 to 31, 2026.
This will be the first international tournament under the auspices of FIFA since 2022 in which the Russian national team will participate.
- At the beginning of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine, UEFA and FIFA decided to suspend all Russian teams from international competitions. Russiaʼs bid to host the European Football Championships in 2028 and 2032 was deemed unacceptable.
- But in February 2026, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he would consider lifting the ban on Russian teams from football tournaments. In response, the Ukrainian Football Association called on FIFA to maintain its position on the suspension of Russians from football competitions while the war against Ukraine continues.
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