The truth behind ⚽️’s hottest national team How pariah status in Europe has forced Russia into exhibition games against far weaker, albeit ‘friendlier’ countries
What happened?
On Tuesday, November 19, Russia’s national soccer team notched another victory, defeating Syria 4–0 in an exhibition game. A few days earlier, Russia blew out Brunei, 11–0, in the country’s biggest winning margin in history (including both the Soviet and Tsarist eras).
Russia currently boasts the best stats of any national team in the world: over six games in the past 12 months, Russia is undefeated, destroying opposing teams with a combined score of 34–0.
Before the games against Syria and Brunei, Russia defeated Cuba (November 2023, 8–0), Serbia (March 2024, 4–0), Belarus (June 2024, 4–0), and Vietnam (September 2024, 3–0).
What do these victories mean? Did Russia’s team suddenly become great?
Ha, no. The whole streak boils down to weaker opponents.
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) banned Russia’s national team from competing in the World Cup and European Championships (in part because league officials said they couldn’t guarantee the safety of Russian players during games). As a result, Russia now plays only exhibition games, but they’re still official games, and their results are included in FIFA’s statistics — including team strength rankings.
FIFA approval isn’t required for exhibition games — all it takes is an agreement between the opposing teams. However, many countries (especially in Europe, which has some of the best national teams) simply refuse to take the field with Russia while the war in Ukraine rages on. For example, plans for a game between Russia and Bosnia in the fall of 2022 collapsed amid public backlash, and Bosnia ultimately backed out. Shunned by international soccer’s powerhouses, Russia has resorted to games against lower-caliber teams from nations that Moscow designates “friendly.”
Today, Russia ranks 34th in FIFA’s standings. Of the opponents they’ve defeated over the past year, only Serbia (33rd place) ranks anywhere nearby. Russia’s most recent victory over Syria came against FIFA’s 94th-place team. Belarus, Vietnam, Cuba, and Brunei are ranked even lower.
Admittedly, even before its disqualification by FIFA and UEFA, Russia sometimes recorded blowout victories against weaker teams, but those games weren’t in such uninterrupted succession, so they attracted less attention.
When will Russia play against strong opponents again?
So long as “safety concerns” persist, neither FIFA nor UEFA has provided a timeline for Russia’s return to international tournaments. A few days ago, the sports network Match TV reported that Russia will be barred (as expected) from participating in the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
This spring, the Russian Football Union approved a “concept for the national team’s activities during sanctions” that identifies the 2030 World Cup qualifying tournament (which begins in 2028) as a potential target for Russia’s return to international competitions.
On November 20, Russian Football Union President Alexander Dyukov claimed he felt a “thaw” in UEFA’s attitude toward Russia when he last met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin. Dyukov didn’t clarify what sent his senses tingling.