Geopolitics: Russia invited to FIFA U15 World Cup, but still excluded from European football

Afghanistan, Djibouti, Russia, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Türkiye are the six teams making up Group AE for the "FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival" event to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 22 to 31 October 2026 (with matches from 24 to 30 October, see below).

For the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, a Russian football team is therefore set to take part in an official competition.

This new event, whose creation was approved by the FIFA Council in December 2025, will bring together 191 teams (all 211 FIFA member associations were invited), divided into 32 groups of six teams (except for one group of five, see below). The tournament will be played on 10 reduced-size pitches (68 × 47 metres), with an eight-a-side format for players born in 2011 or 2012 and two…