Russia Considers Hosting Own 2026 World Cup Amid FIFA Ban

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in United States, Mexico and Canada is getting closer, Russia is considering to host its own different international football competition for national teams such as Serbia, Nigeria, Hungary, Greece, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Peru, Chile, Mali, Slovenia, Cameroon and Burkina Faso that did not qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The European and South American media described the alternate World Cup being considered as a “World Cup for the excluded”. This alternate World Cup by the Russia is to catch media attention on Russia while putting some pressure on FIFA. Russia is trying to create an opportunity for countries who didn’t qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup so that they will return to the global stage.

Russia is still not allowed to take part in international competition from the time it forced takeover of Ukraine in 2022. The clubs in Russia and Russia’s national team are still operating in its own way of “football bubble”. Russia is playing friendly match with no global recognition or official recognition.

As per a report, Russia has reached out to Football Federations from Serbia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Greece, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Chile and China concerning their participation.

A radio station in Chile namely ADN Deportes, “the Football Federation of Russia has been seriously working on the event. Russia could end up hosting matches in US cities and this is a move that will likely stir strong reactions because the official World Cup will also take place in North America.

Although there are still some political problems especially the entry restrictions for some teams in the US side, the authorities of Russia are hoping that geopolitical development might make it possible for the project to proceed in some form. This kind of plan reflects how Moscow use football as a tool to help change global influence without any force.

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