Nine Countries Have Refused to Play Russia in UEFA or FIFA Tournaments

Nine countries have formally refused to play Russia in international matches since their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Since the invasion, Russia have been banned from playing in UEFA or FIFA-sanctioned matches.

They have instead participated in friendly matches against teams from across the six continents, with Belarus - who have supported Russia in their war on Ukraine - being the only European nation to face them.

While other European nations have taken part in World Cup qualifiers over the past week, Russia's men's side have faced Jordan and Qatar in friendlies.

Their women's side has faced a mixture of international and club sides, most recently beating Serbia 3-0 in July.

Russia defeated Qatar 4-1 in their friendly match (Image: Twitter)

Shortly after the initial invasion in 2022, the governing bodies of nine other countries confirmed that they would refuse to play Russia in international matches for the foreseeable futures.

Among them were England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, with all four governing bodies releasing public statements.

Czechia, Sweden, Poland and the United States also announced they would not take on a Russian side.

Wales were the ninth nation to make such a proclamation, and received backing from the then First Minister Mark Drakeford.

What did the nine countries say?

A statement from the English FA read: "Out of solidarity with Ukraine and to wholeheartedly condemn the atrocities being committed by the Russian leadership ... we won't play against Russia in any international fixtures for the foreseeable future. This includes any potential match at any level of senior, age group or para football."

The US Soccer Federation released an even stronger message, stating: "The U.S. Soccer Federation stands united with the people of Ukraine and is unequivocal in our denunciation of the heinous and inhumane invasion by Russia.

"We will neither tarnish our global game, nor dishonour Ukraine, by taking the same field as Russia, no matter the level of competition or circumstance, until freedom and peace have been restored."

And the Swedish FA stated that continuing to play against Russia would be 'impossible': "The illegal and deeply unjust invasion of Ukraine currently makes all football exchanges with Russia impossible.

"We therefore urge FIFA to decide that the [Euro 2022] play-off matches in March in which Russia participates will be cancelled [they would later be cancelled]. But regardless of what FIFA chooses to do, we will not play against Russia in March."