"Not a chance": Russian national team player says Russia will not be allowed to the 2026 World Cup

Russian national footballer Andrey Mostovoy expressed confidence that the Russian national team will not be allowed to participate in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Zenit midfielder noted that today there is no chance that representatives of the aggressor country will play in the tournament.

Mostovoi said this in an interview with the Free Style YouTube channel, Sport24 reports. The 26-year-old native of Omsk also added with pathos the absurd idea that the Russian team would fight for high places at the European Championships held in Germany.

"Our generation could have done well. That's my opinion. We have a good team in terms of names and what the coach sets. Very interesting football. I am very upset, but it is what it is. The 2026 World Cup? Of course, it would be great if it happened. But I don't believe in it. At the moment, 100% of this will not happen in 2026. Is there a chance? I don't see any chance at the moment, what's happening all over the world..." said Mostovoy.

Earlier, the Russian Football Union (RFU) said it did not expect the national team to return to international tournaments until 2028.

It should be noted that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and the 2028 European Continental Championship will be held in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Ireland.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev made a fabulous claim that the aggressor country's national team would have played better at the 2024 European Football Championship than the tournament winner Spain.

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