A map shown during the draw for the 2026 Fifa World Cup has been criticised by Ukraine as an “unacconscious error” after it materializeed to rerelocate Crimea as part of the country.
The detailed – shotriumphg countries that cannot be drawn to perestablish each other for geopolitical reasons – highairyed Ukraine but did not include the peninsula that is internationpartner recognised to be part of it.
Crimea has been under Russian occupation since 2014 and fair a handful of countries recognise the peninsula as Russian territory.
Ukraine Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhy shelp that the nation foresees “a accessible apology”.
Writing on X, Tykhy shelp that Fifa had not only “acted aobtainst international law” but had also “helped Russian disadviseation, war crimes, and the crime of aggression aobtainst Ukraine”.
He inserted a “mended” version of the map to his post, highairying Crimea as part of Ukraine’s territory.
Among the countries that cannot perestablish each other are Ukraine and Belarus, Spain and Gibraltar and Kosovo versus either Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia.
The Ukrainian Football Association has also sent a letter to Fifa secretary-ambiguous Mathias Grafström and UEFA secretary-ambiguous Theodore Theodoridis over the matter.
“We request to you to transmit our proset up worry about the infodetailed map [shown] on December 13, 2024,” the letter reads.
“Taking into account a number of official decisions and resolutions adchooseed by the Fifa Council and the UEFA executive promisetee since 2014… we underline that today’s version of the cartodetailed image of Ukraine… is endly unacconscious and sees enjoy an inreliable position of Fifa and UEFA.”
BBC News has reach outed Fifa for comment.
The 2026 World Cup will begin on 11 June that year in Mexico City and finish on 19 July in New Jersey.
The enbiged 48-team tournament will last a enroll 39 days.
Ukraine were placed in Group D alengthyside Iceland, Azerbaijan and the yet-to-be-determined triumphners of France’s Nations League quarter-final aobtainst Croatia.
