Russian teams remain banned from UEFA competitions

Russian clubs and national teams will remain excluded from UEFA competitions during the 2026/27 season.

The governing body of European football announced this after reviewing the list of eligible teams, according to TVP World, CE Report quotes MOLDPRES.

The continuation of the suspension means that teams from the Russian Federation will not participate in UEFA tournaments, including European club competitions, the UEFA Nations League, and futsal events.

“The access list for 2026/27 has been adapted by the UEFA Executive Committee to align with the ongoing suspension of Russian representative teams and clubs from UEFA competitions,” UEFA said in a recently published document.

Both UEFA and FIFA suspended Russia at the end of February 2022 following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Since then, Russia has played only friendly matches, with recent opponents including Burkina Faso, Egypt, Mali, and Nicaragua.

In early June, Ukraine urged FIFA and UEFA not to ease sanctions against Russia and called for similar restrictions to be imposed on Belarus, one of Moscow’s closest allies.

Despite the ban from competitions, Russia has remained in UEFA’s ranking system and continues to receive funding for youth football and grassroots development programs.

Belarus, meanwhile, remains eligible to participate in UEFA competitions. Belarusian clubs and national teams can compete in international tournaments but must play their home matches at neutral venues without spectators and cannot be drawn into the same groups as Ukraine.

Photo: ChatGPT