FIFA sparks anger with Crimea map during World Cup draw

FIFA has sparked anger after the soccer organization showed a map during a qualifying draw for the 2026 World Cup that showed Ukraine without Crimea as a part of it.

The map was shown during a broadcast of Friday’s draw to show European countries that cannot play each other in matches to qualify for the tournament for geopolitical reasons—such as Ukraine against Belarus and Kosovo against either Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia.

The map highlighted Ukraine, but did not include the Crimean Peninsula as part of the country’s territory. It also appeared to depict Kosovo as part of Serbia.

Crimea has been under Russian occupation for a decade, but is internationally recognized as part of Ukraine. Moscow has annexed more Ukrainian territory since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and has said that Kyiv must accept these losses for peace negotiations to go ahead.

Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, said that Ukraine expects “a public apology” for FIFA’s error.

“Are you OK, @FIFAcom?” Tykhyi wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday. “By redrawing international borders in yesterday’s broadcast, you not only acted against international law, but also supported Russian propaganda, war crimes, and the crime of aggression against Ukraine. We fixed the map for you and expect a public apology.”

A FIFA spokesperson told Newsweek in a statement that it was “aware of an issue, which affected one of the graphics displayed during the draw” and that the segment “has been removed.”

Olena Kondratiuk, a Ukrainian politician, wrote on X that she was “shocked” by FIFA’s map. “It’s unacceptable! Crimea is Ukraine!” Kondratiuk wrote.

FC Karpaty Lviv, a Ukrainian football team, also called for an apology from FIFA.

“In addition to failing to recognize Belarus as one of the aggressors and suspend it from the competition, you are also violating the sovereign borders of Ukraine,” the team wrote on X.

“Crimea was, is, and will remain Ukrainian. And by doing so, you are playing into the hands of the occupiers and aggressors, legitimizing their actions. We call for an apology!”

The Ukrainian Association of Football sent a letter to FIFA secretary-general Matthias Grafström and UEFA secretary-general Theodore Theodoridis about what it called an “unacceptable error.”

“We are writing to express our deep concern regarding the infographic map of Europe shown during the TV broadcast of the European Qualifiers draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026 on December 13, 2024,” the letter said.

“We emphasize that the version of the map presented by FIFA during the global broadcast to a multi-million audience is unacceptable. It appears as an inconsistent stance by FIFA and UEFA on this crucial issue, especially in light of the ongoing destructive invasion initiated by Russia against Ukraine in the 21st century, in the heart of Europe.”

The FIFA spokesperson said the organization has “addressed the situation” with the association, but declined to provide further details.

Newsweek has contacted FIFA for comment via email.

The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 and will be held in 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

During Friday’s qualifying draw, Ukraine were placed in Group D along with Iceland, Azerbaijan and the winner of the Nations League quarter-final between France and Croatia.