Ukraine has criticized a map that emerged during the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw as an “unacceptable error” after it appeared to exclude Crimea as part of the country.
The chart – which shows countries that cannot be drawn to play each other for geopolitical reasons – highlighted Ukraine but did not include the peninsula that is internationally recognized as part of it.
Crimea has been under Russian occupation since 2014, and only a few countries recognize the peninsula as Russian territory.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hiorhii Tykhi said the nation expected a “general apology.”
Not only did FIFA “act against international law” but “also supported Russian propaganda, war crimes and the crime of aggression against Ukraine,” Tykhi wrote in X.
He added a “fixed” version of the map to his post, highlighting Crimea as part of Ukrainian territory.
Among the countries that cannot play with each other are Ukraine, Belarus, Spain, Gibraltar and Kosovo against Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia.
The Ukrainian Football Federation also sent a letter to FIFA Secretary General Matthias Grafström and UEFA Secretary General Theodor Theodoridis on the matter.
“We call on you to express our deep concern regarding the information map (displayed) on December 13, 2024,” the letter read.
He added: “Taking into account a number of official resolutions and decisions adopted by the FIFA Council and the UEFA Executive Committee since 2014… we emphasize that the current version of the cartographic image of Ukraine… is completely unacceptable and appears to be an inconsistent position of Ukraine.” FIFA and UEFA.”
BBC News has contacted FIFA for comment.
The 2026 World Cup will begin on June 11 of that year in Mexico City and end on July 19 in New Jersey.
The expanded 48-team tournament will last 39 days.
Ukraine has been placed in Group D alongside Iceland, Azerbaijan and the yet-to-be-decided winners of the French Nations League quarter-final against Croatia.
