Russia is set to return to FIFA competitions for the first time since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, as the country has been listed as an entrant in next month’s boys’ Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan. The Russian team has been placed in a group that includes Turkey, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Sierra Leone, and Sudan. This marks the first time a Russian team will participate in a FIFA competition since restrictions on Russian teams were eased for under-17 competitions in 2023. Following the 2022 invasion, Russia’s national and club teams were excluded from FIFA and UEFA events. FIFA President Gianni Infantino previously criticized the ban on Russian teams, calling it ineffective, a stance that drew sharp criticism from Ukraine’s sports minister, Matvii Bidnyi, who called the remarks “irresponsible and infantile.” Bidnyi argued that such comments ignored the human cost of the war, including the deaths of children. The change in stance follows the International Olympic Committee (IOC) withdrawing its recommendation for sports organizations like FIFA to continue banning Russia. The IOC also provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in July, which had been in place since October 2023. The suspension was imposed after the ROC recognized regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine—Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—following the invasion. Although the suspension has been lifted, the IOC has not yet decided whether Russia will be allowed to display its flag, use its national colors, or have its anthem played at future Olympic events. Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev welcomed the IOC’s decision, stating it would help Russian athletes return to international competition. The Russian government also called the move “an important step” toward fully reinstating Russian athletes in the global sports community.