British News Agency

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Monday that the world football governing body should lift the ban imposed on Russia’s participation in international tournaments.

Russia was banned by FIFA from football events immediately after invading Ukraine in February 2022. Although youth teams have been allowed to compete since 2023, the ban remains in force.

In an interview with Sky News, when asked whether he was considering lifting the ban, Infantino said, “We have to do it.” He added, “I am against sanctions and against boycotts,” saying they only “create more hatred.”

Infantino maintains close relations with U.S. President Donald Trump and, in December, after the American president failed to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, he awarded Trump the newly created FIFA Peace Award, generally regarded as a symbolic honor.

FIFA also opened an office in Trump Tower in New York in July and appointed Trump’s daughter Ivanka to the board of an education aid project funded by revenues from ticket sales for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The United States will host the men’s World Cup this summer together with Mexico and Canada. Due to the Trump administration’s foreign policy, the tournament has faced calls for boycotts from some political and social groups.

Russia hosted the tournament in 2018.