3 Countries Banned From the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It will be the first time in history that three countries will co-host the tournament. 

However, not every country will have the chance to compete, and not just because of failure to qualify. FIFA has banned three nations from participating, regardless of their performance in the qualification rounds.

Why did FIFA ban these countries?

FIFA, the governing body of world football, has strict rules regarding how national football federations should operate. Any country that violates these rules risks suspension or even a full ban from international competitions, including the World Cup.

For the 2026 tournament, three countries have been banned due to different reasons:

Congo – Government Interference

Congo’s ban was caused by “undue interference by third parties” in the country’s football federation. FIFA insists that national football associations must operate independently, without political or governmental control. Since Congo’s football body was not running independently, FIFA imposed a ban.

FIFA has set conditions for lifting the suspension, including ensuring that the country’s football federation is free from external influence. Until these conditions are met, Congo remains banned from the 2026 World Cup.

Pakistan – Governance Issues

Pakistan’s ban is linked to problems within its football administration. FIFA stated that Pakistan’s football federation (PFF) failed to implement a revised constitution that would allow for fair and democratic elections.

FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had been working on normalizing the situation in Pakistan, but with no progress, the country was banned. The only way for Pakistan to return to international football is for its federation to adopt the new constitution and hold fair elections.

Russia – Ban Over Ukraine Invasion

Russia’s case is different from Congo and Pakistan. The country was banned from FIFA competitions in 2022 after invading Ukraine. Despite calls for the ban to be lifted, FIFA has not yet allowed Russia back into international football.

Russia, which hosted the 2018 World Cup, has not played an official FIFA-sanctioned match since the suspension. Unless FIFA changes its stance, the country will not feature in the 2026 World Cup.

Can these bans be lifted?

In theory, Congo and Pakistan can still have a chance if they meet FIFA’s requirements before the qualification process ends. However, Russia’s situation is more complicated, as it is tied to political and global tensions.

With qualifiers still ongoing, the final list of teams for the 2026 World Cup will only be confirmed by late 2025. For now, these three nations remain out of the competition.

Will FIFA change its mind? Only time will tell.