FIFA ban: One African country and 2 nations banned from World Cup

FIFA’s World Cup history has seen multiple nations barred from competing for various reasons, but only three countries have faced bans due to political sanctions imposed by the United Nations.

Currently, Russia remains suspended from all international football competitions, a sanction announced by FIFA and UEFA in May 2022 following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Several European associations, including England, Poland, and Sweden, refused to face Russia, prompting the ban, which also applies to youth and women’s teams and extends to the European Championships.

Since then, Russia has played only unofficial friendlies against nations such as Belarus, Nigeria, Zambia, and Grenada.

An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was unsuccessful, though discussions to reintegrate Russia into global football are reportedly ongoing.

The other two politically motivated bans in history were Yugoslavia and South Africa.

In 1992, Yugoslavia, despite topping their Euro 92 qualifying group, was banned just ten days before the tournament due to UN sanctions during the Balkan conflict.

Denmark replaced them and went on to win the title. The ban also kept Yugoslavia out of the 1994 World Cup qualifiers. When sanctions were lifted, the team re-entered competition under the Serbia and Montenegro banner before eventually splitting into separate national teams.

South Africa’s political ban stemmed from the apartheid era. First suspended by FIFA in 1961, they were briefly reinstated in 1963 before being suspended again in 1965 and later expelled in 1967 under FIFA President João Havelange.

Their return came in 1992, leading to their historic Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 1996.