FIFA has issued a formal notice suspending the Russian national team from all international football competitions for an unspecified period. This means they are officially banned from the World Cup. In a similar move, UEFA has suspended all Russian clubs from its tournaments and terminated its partnership with Gazprom. These severe penalties were imposed following the start of the conflict in Ukraine.
As a result of FIFA's ruling, the Russian men's team is out of the World Cup qualifying play-offs planned for the end of March 2022. Additionally, the Russian women's national team can no longer participate in the July 2022 European Championship. These restrictions also apply to any Russian clubs currently competing in European leagues.
Without a change in the rules or a lifting of the suspension, Russia is effectively disqualified from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. FIFA hasn't yet detailed how the qualifying play-offs will be restructured without them. Originally, the Russian men were supposed to play Poland in the semi-finals on March 24th, with a potential follow-up match against either Sweden or the Czech Republic on March 29th to secure a spot in the finals.
Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic were all lined up to face Russia for a ticket to the 2022 World Cup, though all three had already expressed their refusal to play against them. FIFA is now weighing its options: they could either give Poland a direct pass to the playoff final or award Russia's vacancy to another nation, possibly Slovakia, who trailed Russia in the European qualifying group.
The women's team was expected to compete against Switzerland, Sweden, and the Netherlands during the Euro tournament in England this July. In the club circuit, Spartak Moscow—the last remaining Russian club in European play—was set to face RB Leipzig from Germany in the Europa League round of 16.
FIFA emphasized that the football world stands in full solidarity with everyone impacted by the crisis in Ukraine. It remains uncertain if or when these bans will be revoked. Both Gianni Infantino and Aleksander Ceferin, the heads of FIFA and UEFA, expressed hope for a swift resolution to the conflict so that football can once again promote peace and unity among nations.