Why FIFA Officially Banned Three Nations From 2026 FIFA World Cup?

The countdown to the greatly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup is ticking fast, with only a year left on the clock, across the continents, nations have been battling for a place in the magnificent event in the World Cup qualifiers across the continents.

The 2026 edition is set to be hosted jointly by three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as it promises to be a bigger spectacle and more competitive. With the newly announced 48-team format, an expansion from the 32-team format, increasing chances of smaller nations to represent themselves on the global stage.

The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has decided to impose a ban on three nations from partaking in the tournament for varied reasons — Russia, Pakistan & DR Congo. The global body of football has stripped the eligibility of these countries to take part in the International tournament.

FIFA’s Ban on Russia, DR Congo & Pakistan Explained

• Russia: Since 2022, the host of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia has been barred from playing in UEFA and FIFA organised tournaments in response to their attack and invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, they are not eligible to play in the European World Cup qualifiers to qualify for the upcoming World Championship in the summer of 2026.

• DR Congo: Meanwhile, DR Congo has been apprehended with unlawful third-party manipulation in their operation of the Congolese Football Federation independently (FECOFOOT). The AFCON country was officially handed a prohibition from participating in the FIFA tournament following the external influence.

• Pakistan: The AFC and South Asian country’s official football body, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) was also charged with administrative charges after failing to adopt a new constitution following a free and fair election as per Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA guidelines.