Despite the opening signals, Russian teams from the Champions League and the other UEFA club competitions will also be excluded in the coming season. Nevertheless, money flows to the Russian association.
As the UEFA confirmed in a circular dated to the national associations in July 7, teams from Russia will not take part in the Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference League in the 2025/26 season. For women, the exclusion also applies to the Champions League and the new Europa Cup. In addition, the qualification for the men’s World Cup started in 2026 without the Russian team.
For men, the Russian champions FK Krasnodar must not play in the Champions League, the FC Paphos from Cyprus and Ferencváros from Hungary move from the 1st to the 2nd qualification round. In the Women’s Champions League, this applies to GKS Katowice from Poland, the Russian champions of Zenit Saint Petersburg are outside.
Master with Krasnodar, but no starting right in the Champions League: Jhon Coroba, formerly player at Mainz, Cologne and Hertha
Attack on Ukraine only reason, not justification for suspension
Russia’s teams have been suspended against Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression. The UEFA and the World Association FIFA did not directly refer to the military aggression in Russia in 2022, but to “Security reasons”the protection of the “Integrity of the competition” and the “Running the games”.
After the Russian attack began, FIFA and UEFA had tried to have Russia without flag and anthem under the name “Football Association from Russia” instead of “Russia”. A double -digit number of European associations refused games against Russia, the DFB was not among them. So was “The smooth running of the games” endangered.
FIFA and UEFA no longer remained a choice: they suspended the Russian teams of participating in their competitions, Russia’s association made an objection to the International Sports Court CAS.
Money from the UEFA continues to flow to Moscow
Nevertheless, only the teams and no functional are suspended. Association leader Alexander Djukow, a Gazprom manager with contacts with President Vladimir Putin, was part of the mighty UEFA Executive Committee until April 2025, and Russian officials are still represented in the lower committees of FIFA and UEFA.
RFU President Alexander Djukow (right) with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin
Money continues to flow from the associations: The Russian Association receives 2.75 million euros from the UEFA about the so -called “hat trick” program, in which parts of the income – such as those from the EM 2024 in Germany – are distributed to the national associations. The FIFA also recently provided the Russian association $ 2.2 million in its “Forward” program. The associations state that they want to promote “the development of football” in the respective countries with this money.
FIFA and UEFA sent signals from the opening
Both the UEFA and the FIFA recently broadcast signals. Zoran Laković, in which UEFA was responsible for the national associations, appeared in February at the Congress of the Russian Association in Moscow and spoke conciliatory words. “I hope that this year Russian sport, including the national soccer team, will finally return where he was before this situation”said Laković according to a report by the Russian Association: “You will return to the European sports family.” Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin only said: “When the war ends, they are allowed again.”
Zoran Laković, UEFA director national associations at the RFU Congress in Moscow
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in April: “Talks about peace in Ukraine are underway. I hope that we will soon go to the next step and to integrate Russia back into the football landscape, because that would mean that everything has been solved.” He did not name more precise framework conditions.
Gianni Infantino at the UEFA Congress in Belgrade
Admission of Russian U17 teams decided, but exposed
The UEFA Executive Committee had first opened the door for a return of Russia in 2023 by allowed Russian U17 teams to play again. The UEFA argued with a sporting participation of young people, critics saw a first opening and a sports policy success for the Russian regime.
While DFB Vice President Hans-Joachim Watzke agreed in the UEFA Executive Committee and later also DFB President Bernd Neuendorf in the FIFA Council with the opposition of the Federal Ministry of the Interior to re-approval from Russian U17 teams, several other European associations with boycott were threatened. The implementation of the decision was therefore postponed.