A map unveiled for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been criticized by Ukraine as an “unacceptable error” after it appeared to exclude Crimea as part of the country.
The graphic – which shows countries unable to play against each other for geopolitical reasons – highlighted Ukraine but did not include the internationally recognized peninsula as part of it.
Crimea has been under Russia since 2014 and only a few countries recognize the peninsula as Russian territory.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhy said the nation expects a “public apology”.
Writing in X, Tykhy said that Fifa not only acted “against international law” but also “supported Russian propaganda, war crimes, and the crime of torture against Ukraine”.
He added a “corrected” version of the map to his post, highlighting Crimea as part of Ukraine’s territory.
Among the countries that cannot play alone are Ukraine and Belarus, Spain and Gibraltar and Kosovo against Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia.
The Ukrainian Football Association also sent a letter to FIFA Secretary General Mathias Grafström and UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis on this matter.
“We urge you to express our deep concern about the infographic map [shown] December 13, 2024,” the letter reads.
“Considering the many decisions and official decisions adopted by the FIFA Council and the UEFA executive committee since 2014… we emphasize that today’s version of the cartographic image of Ukraine … is completely unacceptable and looks like an unchanging position FIFA and Uefa.”
BBC News has contacted Fifa for comment.
The 2026 World Cup will begin on June 11 that year in Mexico City and end on July 19 in New Jersey.
The expanded tournament with 48 teams will span a record 39 days.
Ukraine are placed in Group D along with Iceland, Azerbaijan and yet-to-be-winners France’s Nations League quarter-final against Croatia.
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