MOSCOW, September 21, Andrey Mikhailov. President of the Russian Football Union (RFS) Alexander Dyukov said that the Russian national football team still has a chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Dyukov said on Thursday that a decision on changing the confederation will need to be made before end of 2023.
«»Does it make sense if we are not able to qualify for the World Cup? This requires discussion because in order to take part in the World Cup selection we need confirmation and agreement from side of FIFA, which we do not currently have. The chances of qualifying for the World Cup are not lost yet,» Dyukov told reporters.
In February 2022, FIFA and UEFA published a joint statement according to which Russian national teams and clubs were suspended from participation in international competitions for an indefinite period due to events in Ukraine. After the sanctions began, the Russian team was not allowed to compete for the right to get to the World Cup in Qatar, as well as to participate in the qualifying tournament for the European Championship, which will be held in Germany in the summer of 2024.
At the end On December 2022, the RFU executive committee raised the issue of the organization’s possible transition to the Asian Football Confederation. At the same time, together with UEFA, it was decided to create a working group, the purpose of which is to develop a roadmap for the speedy return of Russian teams to international tournaments. On January 24, a working meeting between the RFU and UEFA was held on a relevant topic, the parties agreed to continue contacts.