Someraivo immediately followed Fifa’s mistake.
The European qualifying groups for the World Cup 2026 were drawn on Friday in Zurich. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
The mistake was not visible for a long time, but even a second is a long time when you have time to draw state borders.
On Friday, at Fifa’s headquarters in Zurich, the European qualifying groups were drawn, from which efforts will be made towards the final tournament of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Before the actual draw started, viewers were shown a map that explained the restrictions placed on different countries. For example, Ukraine, which is fighting a defensive war, cannot even in theory be in the same qualifying group as Belarus, which supports Russia.
Of course, Russia itself must not be involved at all.
But Fifa should also be careful with their pictures. Namely, it presented a map where the Crimean peninsula was marked as a territory that does not belong to Ukraine.
Social media caught on to the topic cautiously.
– Are you all right, Fifa? In addition to adding Belarus to a war of aggression and removing its right to participate, you are also violating the borders of independent Ukraine, the football club FC Karpaty Lviv tweeted.
– Crimea is and will remain Ukrainian. We want an apology.
Football Federation of Ukraine immediately approached the general secretary of Fifa Mathias Grafström and a Uefa colleague Theodore Theodoridis demanding an explanation for what happened.
– Today’s version of the map is completely unacceptable and calls into question Fifa’s consistency with regard to the war of aggression launched by Russia, the letter read.
Ukraine was eventually drawn into Group D along with Iceland, Azerbaijan and either France or Croatia.
Finland plays in Group G, where Huuhkajat will face Poland, Lithuania, Malta and either Spain or the Netherlands.