The 2026 FIFA VM will be the first to be worth of three nations – the United States, Mexico and Canada – marks a historical change in the structure of the tournament. As FIFA President Gianni Infantino working to extend football’s global reach, He has left the door open to a forbidden country to potentially return to the competition in the coming years.
One of the most profiled prohibitions in recent football history was introduced Russia. Although it was hosted for the 2018 World Cup, Russia is excluded from all FIFA and UEFA competitions after its actions during the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. At the 139th AGM in IFAB in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Infantino was asked about peace talks and the possibility that Russia returned to the global football scene. His response left room for hope.
“We all hope that peace negotiations will succeed, because I think it is important that we support it for the world, much more than for football, that we have peace“Said Infantino to journalists. His comments followed a meeting with US President Donald Trump and led to further questions about Russia’s potential return to international football.
On the question of President Trump had raised the issue of Russia’s return, Infantino was directly: “No, I haven’t been asked. I think there are more important topics to discuss than about football, But we want all countries to play football. “
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Both FIFA and UEFA banned the Russian Football Union (RFU) from their competitions. While peace talks remain ongoing, Infantino has not excluded the possibility that Russia reintroduced international football.
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Infantino defends Saudi Arabia’s host for World Cup 2034
In another controversial move, FIFA assigned Saudi Arabia the rights to host the World Cup 2034Which makes it the other country in the Middle East after Qatar that hosts the prestigious tournament. This decision was met with skepticism from some federations, including Norway’s Football AssociationBut Infantino stood after FIFA’s choice.
“There was a congressional decision that united the whole world. I think it was a very positive step for football that started for eight years football from all over the world and hosted everyone. We have to take everyone to the table“FIFA’s president stated.
In the future, Infantino emphasized FIFA’s vision for a truly global World Cup and noted that the organization plans to rotate the tournament over continents: “We go to North America 2026, now we go to South America, go to Africa, we go to Europe 2030. We will return to Asia for 2034. The FIFA Congress approved that it was made after an in-depth report on all this. “
