Ukraine demands an apology from FIFA: what was the reason.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on FIFA to apologize for presenting a map of Ukraine without Crimea during the live broadcast of the draw for the 2026 World Cup. This was reported by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Georgiy Tikhiy.

“You have not only violated international law, but also supported Russian propaganda and war crimes against Ukraine,” he wrote. Tikhiy also urged FIFA to apologize.

Recall that during the broadcast of the draw, FIFA explained that the teams would be divided into different groups, so some could not play against each other, for example, Ukraine and Belarus, Kosovo and Serbia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. A map appeared on the screen showing Ukraine without Crimea.

It is worth noting that on December 13, the draw for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup qualification in the UEFA zone took place. The Ukrainian national team ended up in Group D, where its opponents were France or Croatia (the winner of the 1/4 Nations League), Iceland, and Azerbaijan.

Russia was excluded from the draw for the World Cup qualification.