Why Did FIFA Ban Three Countries from the 2026 World Cup? 

FIFA banned Russia, Congo and Pakistan from the 2026 World Cup because of various breaches of FIFA statutes. Let’s see why.

Russia:

Russia has been suspended from all FIFA and UEFA competitions since February 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine. The ban excludes the men’s and women’s national teams and domestic clubs from international competitions including the World Cup and European Championships.

Congo:

The suspension was imposed on the Congolese Football Association (FECOFOOT) for significant third-party interference in its activities in violation of FIFA’s requirement for member associations to operate independently without external influence. FIFA will lift the suspension when the association regains full control of its premises, facilities and bank accounts.

Pakistan:

Pakistan’s football federation has been suspended because it has not adopted a new constitution that allows fair and democratic elections, an issue that has led to suspensions twice before in 2017 and 2021. The current suspension will remain in place now until the PFF congress adopts the constitution version released by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

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