After Four Years, Russia Is Back In FIFA Competition, But Only At U-15 Level

Russia is set to make a limited return to international football after being included in the draw for the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan next month, marking the first easing of its exclusion from FIFA competitions since 2022.

Russia has been barred from FIFA and UEFA competitions since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The youth tournament represents a partial opening rather than a full return, with Russia’s senior and other major national teams still excluded from international competition.

Russia was placed in a six-team group alongside Turkey, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Sierra Leone and Sudan. The tournament will bring together 191 national teams and will be staged in Azerbaijan from October 24 to 30, according to FIFA’s latest tournament information.

The competition is part of a new FIFA initiative designed to give young players from all member associations international experience, including nations that rarely qualify for major FIFA tournaments. The format will be different from a conventional World Cup, with teams playing eight-a-side matches consisting of two 20-minute halves.

The move follows FIFA's decision last December to open the new U-15 competition to all 211 member associations, making Russia eligible to participate. FIFA has said the boys' tournament is intended as the first edition of a wider youth programme, with a girls' event planned for 2027 and both competitions expected to become annual from 2028.

Russia's exclusion from senior international football followed opposition from several European federations, some of which said they would refuse to play Russian teams after the invasion of Ukraine. FIFA and UEFA's position was later upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The limited youth-level return does not currently signal a wider reopening. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has said Russia's senior teams will not return while the war in Ukraine continues.

The U-15 tournament will therefore provide Russia with a return to FIFA-organised competition at youth level, while its senior teams remain outside the European Championship, Champions League and other major international competitions.