The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced the authorization for all its member federations to send representatives to the unprecedented U-15 World Cup. The competition, which will take place between October 22nd and 31st this year, will have Azerbaijan as the host country.
The decision follows the approval of an Under-15 tournament for both sexes by the FIFA Council in December last year. Azerbaijan has been officially designated by the Board of Directors of the Council as the host of the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in 2026. The inaugural edition will be exclusive to men’s teams from all associations, while the 2027 edition will focus only on women’s teams. From 2028, the entity plans to invite all associations to participate with U15 men’s and women’s teams in two separate competitions.
Although the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) made no explicit mention of Russia in its statements, the DPA news agency reported that the statement on the unrestricted participation of all FIFA members includes the Russian national team.
This will be the first time that a Russian national team has played in an international tournament under the auspices of FIFA, a notable development given the ban of all its teams from competitions since the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Permission for the U15 tournament represents a turning point or an exception to this widespread sanction.
The release comes at a time of recent controversy involving FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Days earlier, he was the target of criticism for autographing a Russian flag during a World Cup match, despite the symbol being formally banned at the event.