3 countries exempted from participating in 2026 World Cup – and why

Three countries will not feature at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after being excluded from the competition for different reasons.

Russia remains barred from international football following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Both FIFA and UEFA have upheld the ban, meaning the Russian Football Union (RFU), its men’s and women’s national teams, and domestic clubs are ineligible to compete in upcoming tournaments, including the World Cup and European Championships.

When UEFA conducted its qualification draw in December, Russia was notably absent, leaving the other 54 member countries divided into 12 groups to vie for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

FIFA has also announced the suspension of Congo and Pakistan, ruling them out of the global tournament.

The Congolese Football Association (FECOFOOT) was suspended due to what FIFA described as “a particularly serious situation of undue interference by third parties” in its operations.

The governing body said the decision followed joint FIFA and CAF missions to Brazzaville.

The suspension will only be lifted if FECOFOOT regains full control of its headquarters, halts attempts to alter bank account signatories, allows an ad hoc committee to function, and ensures independence from outside influence.

The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) faced similar consequences after failing to adopt a revised constitution that would allow for “truly fair and democratic elections.”

FIFA confirmed that Pakistan’s suspension will remain until the federation’s congress approves the version of the constitution prepared in collaboration with FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Both teams had already struggled in their qualifiers. Congo sit bottom of Group E in the African section, while Pakistan finished last in Group G of the Asian qualifiers.

The 2026 World Cup will be staged across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, with the USA hosting the majority of matches in 11 cities.

Argentina, who lifted the trophy in Qatar 2022 after defeating France on penalties in a thrilling final, remain the defending champions

Ultimate Uganda