Russia had started a great rebuilding process with their national team and shocked millions of fans reaching the quarterfinals as hosts in the 2018 World Cup. It seemed like the first step to become a contender in other major tournaments such as the UEFA Euro.
During their extraordinary run as hosts six years ago, the Russian squad survived Group A playing alongside Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Then, in the Round of 16, they delivered one of the biggest surprises by eliminating Spain in a thrilling penalty shootout.
Although Luka Modric and Croatia stopped them in the quarterfinals, the future looked promising. In the next few months, the positive trend continued and Russia clinched a direct ticket to the UEFA Euro 2020.
However, when the country was ready to fight for a spot in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, a massive event off the field changed the course of history. The Russian national team paid the consequences.
Matvei Safonov won’t play in the UEFA Euro 2024 with Russia (Getty Images)
Is Russia playing in the UEFA Euro 2024?
Russia will not play in the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany because the national team was suspended from all competitions after the war in Ukraine began in February of 2022. As a result, the Russian clubs were also excluded from European tournaments. FIFA supported that measure.
“Following the initial decisions adopted by the FIFA Council and the UEFA Executive Committee, which envisaged the adoption of additional measures, FIFA and UEFA have decided together that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice.”
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Two years later, the war in Ukraine has not ended. So, on several occasions, UEFA has indicated that the return of the Russian national team is practically impossible. After the 2024 Euro, they will also not be able to play the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, where their chances to reach the final stage were higher with the expansion to 48 teams.
Why is Russia not playing the Euro 2024?
Furthermore, after the success of the 2018 World Cup, Russia was a favorite to host the next UEFA Euro in 2028. Of course, considering the current situation, they are out of the race.
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“These decisions were adopted by the Bureau of the FIFA Council and the Executive Committee of UEFA, respectively the highest decision-making bodies of both institutions on such urgent matters. Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both Presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.”
