The Ukrainian Football Federation has confirmed that FIFA has apologized to them and Ukraine for a mistake made during the draw ceremony for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The issue involved a map that did not include Crimea, which was annexed by Russia, as part of Ukraine.
This oversight sparked significant outrage in Ukraine, prompting requests for clarification from both UEFA and FIFA regarding the scandal.
However, Ukraine was not the only country to face such an issue.
Kosovo was also depicted on the map as part of Serbia, which drew a similar reaction.
Nevertheless, there have been no official reactions from Kosovo (so far), and as a result, FIFA has not issued an apology to Kosovo.
In the apology issued to Ukraine, FIFA expressed regret, calling the incident an “unintentional error.”
“We fully understand the delicate sensitivity of this matter, and while the incident was unintentional, we sincerely apologize for any distress it may have caused,” wrote FIFA’s Head of Member Associations, Elkhan Mammadov, in a letter made public on Sunday by the Ukrainian football body.
