“There are too many unknowns in this equation” – Kommersant FM

The Russian Football Union is again discussing a return to European competition: its main task is to get into every upcoming competition, said the organization’s general secretary Maxim Mitrofanov. The official avoided a direct question about when this might happen. When will the clubs and national team have at least a theoretical opportunity to return to European cups and qualifying tournaments for the World and European Championships? Kommersant FM sports commentator Vladimir Osipov looked into it.

When it comes to the return of Russian football to the international arena, officials usually avoid specifics. This strategy can be understood; there are too many unknowns in this equation. But if you use the method of elimination and figure out which tournaments the Russian national team will not take part in, understanding becomes a little easier. After the Euro, which starts in mid-June this year, the football world is waiting for the 2026 World Cup.

Russia does not play in the qualifying matches, which means the tournament itself will pass by our athletes. It couldn’t be any other way, football manager Yuri Belous is sure: “The World Cup will be hosted, in particular, by the USA, Canada and Mexico. What kind of participation of the Russian team can we talk about in this case?”

The geography of international tournaments in this case matters. After all, FIFA and UEFA have already shown their weakness, and when some countries boycott matches involving the Russian national team, they manage not only to avoid punishment, but also to stick to their line. Officials are trying not to aggravate the situation. Consequently, Russia will not qualify for Euro 2028 either, since this tournament will be held in Great Britain and Ireland. There, as in the USA, they probably won’t want to see us. So, if we face the truth, our team has a real chance to play in an international tournament only in 2030. This World Cup will take place in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. In addition, some matches will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.

So Russia should qualify for this tournament, football expert Dmitry Bulykin has no doubt about it: “We’ll be back by 2030, of course. We won’t get to the qualifying games until 2026, and then we can hope.”

By the way, the 2034 World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, and this country will definitely not object to the visit of the Russian team. There are, of course, options in which clubs will be allowed to participate in European competitions a little earlier. After all, FIFA and UEFA have repeatedly stated that they will discuss this scenario immediately after the completion of the SVO in Ukraine. But will this happen as quickly as many people think? Businessman, former owner of Spartak Andrei Chervichenko is not sure about this: “There are countries to which we, in principle, cannot go. And I don’t know how to solve this problem. Play on a neutral field all the time? Let’s say, but how will foreigners come to us? The everyday aspects of this issue are also very important.”

So we can’t count on the return of all our football in the near future, even if the main condition from FIFA and UEFA is fulfilled as soon as possible.

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