The Russian national football team could find a solution to avoid being left out of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers if their transfer from UEFA to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is approved, reported Alexandr Diukov, President of the Russian Football Union (UFR). However, Soviet football is running against time, as this decision must be approved before the end of the year, as stated by the official himself this Friday.
In a press conference, Duikov revealed that on Tuesday, December 27, the final decision will be communicated regarding this matter. "Joining the AFC will allow our national teams and clubs to return to official tournaments. The decision is complicated and controversial," he declared.
The head of the UFR, who has the support of the majority of local clubs and the Russian Minister of Sports, Oleg Matitsin, emphasized the importance of reaching a consensus in time to participate in the qualifying process for the next World Cup, which will take place in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
Russia played their last official match over a year ago. Photo: Russian national team
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"The possibility of being accepted is more than high. A delay of a few days in making a decision will result in national football potentially losing four years," Duikov said while expressing optimism that FIFA will not hinder a possible migration. "We know that FIFA will not oppose if we switch to the AFC," he said.
However, voices of concern have arisen within the UFR itself. Viacheslav Koloskov, honorary president of the association, warned about the "serious risks" of leaving the UEFA, in addition to expressing skepticism about the possibility of the AFC automatically allowing Russia to participate in its qualifiers.
The UFR is currently under a UEFA sanction, at the national team and club level, for the invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022 and continues to this day. That is why the Russian team was disqualified from the European play-offs for Qatar 2022, for which they had qualified.
With information from EFE