The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first to be hosted by three nations—the United States, Mexico, and Canada—marking a historic shift in the tournament’s structure. As FIFA President Gianni Infantino works to expand soccer’s global reach, he has left the door open for a banned country to potentially return to the competition in the coming years.
One of the most high-profile bans in recent soccer history was imposed on Russia. Despite hosting the 2018 World Cup, Russia was excluded from all FIFA and UEFA competitions following its actions during the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. At the 139th Annual General Meeting of The IFAB in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Infantino was asked about the peace talks and the possibility of Russia rejoining the global football scene. His response left room for hope.
“We all hope that peace talks will be successful, because I think it is important that we support it for the world, much more than for football, that we have peace,” Infantino told journalists. His comments followed a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, sparking further questions about the potential return of Russia to international football.
When asked if President Trump had raised the issue of Russia’s return, Infantino was direct: “No, I haven’t been asked. I think there are more important topics to discuss than about soccer, but we want all the countries to play soccer.”
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 ruled out the possibility of Russia reentering the international football fold.
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In another controversial move, FIFA awarded Saudi Arabia the rights to host the 2034 World Cup, making it the second Middle Eastern country after Qatar to host the prestigious tournament. This decision was met with skepticism from some federations, including Norway’s Soccer Association, but Infantino stood by FIFA’s choice.
“There was a Congress decision, uniting the entire world. I think it was a very positive step for soccer, bringing, in eight years, football from all over the world, hosting everyone. We have to be bringing everyone to the table,” the FIFA president stated.
Looking ahead, Infantino emphasized FIFA’s vision for a truly global World Cup, noting that the organization plans to rotate the tournament across continents: “We will go to North America in 2026, now we go to South America, go to Africa, we’ll go to Europe in 2030. We’ll go back to Asia for 2034. The FIFA Congress approved that, it was done after an in-depth report on all this.”
