FIFA's 'unacceptable' mistake in the World Cup qualifying draw

The Ukrainian FA has slammed FIFA for what it believes to be an "unacceptable" error made during the World Cup 2026 qualifying draw held Friday, 13 December, in Zurich, Switzerland. The controversy arose from a map shown during the broadcast.

During the broadcast for the draw at FIFA's headquarters, a map was displayed showing countries that could not cross borders to face each other. This included nations like Ukraine and Belarus, Spain and Gibraltar, and Kosovo versus Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia.

However, the issue stemmed from the fact that the map highlighted Ukraine’s borders without showing the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, a region annexed by Russia in 2014.

Picture credit: X, @KarpatyLvivFC

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Internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, the region has been a focal point of ongoing conflict since Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, which marked the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

The Vladimir Putin-led invasion has left the country in turmoil. The war has resulted in thousands of casualties, with the conflict still raging in many parts of Ukraine. The annexation of Crimea, which started in 2014, remains a major point of contention in international diplomacy.

In response to the map, the Ukrainian Football Association expressed outrage in a letter sent to FIFA and UEFA. They labelled the error as a serious misstep, given the geopolitical situation and the ongoing conflict.

The World Cup qualifying draw was broadcast to a global audience of millions. As a result, showing the map has been especially problematic due to the wide-reaching implications.

Aware of this, the Ukrainian FA’s letter to FIFA and UEFA specifically highlighted the discrepancy in the map. It stated that the visual exclusion of Crimea was "unacceptable" and inconsistent with the organisations' prior decisions.

"We write to express our deep concern regarding the infographics map of Europe displayed during the television broadcast of the European Qualifiers draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026 on December 13, 2024," read the letter.

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"Taking into account a number of official decisions and resolutions adopted by the Fifa Council and the UEFA executive committee since 2014 [...] we emphasise that today's version of the cartographic image of Ukraine is completely unacceptable and looks like an inconsistent position of Fifa and UEFA," the letter continued.

Both FIFA and UEFA have made official resolutions in the past, affirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity, particularly regarding Crimea. The map’s omission of the territory has now widely been seen as a contradiction of these stances.

Ukraine Foreign ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhy also weighed in on the incident, tagging FIFA in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying: "Are you OK, @FIFAcom? By redrawing international borders in yesterday's broadcast, you not only acted against international law, but also supported Russian propaganda, war crimes, and the crime of aggression against Ukraine." He continued, "We fixed the map for you and expect a public apology."

Picture credit: X, @SpoxUkraineMFA

Since the invasion, Ukraine has been working diplomatically with international organisations, including FIFA and UEFA, to protect its territorial integrity. The country’s anger over the map is a reflection of such a public undermining of these efforts.

In response to the incident, FIFA issued a statement acknowledging the mistake. It read: "FIFA is aware of an issue, which affected one of the graphics displayed during the draw and addressed the situation with the Federation. The segment has been removed."

Aside from the controversy, the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualification group phase placed Ukraine in Group D, alongside Iceland, Azerbaijan, and the winners of the two-legged Nations League quarter-final between France and Croatia.

The group winners will qualify directly for the finals to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Twelve group runners-up and the four best Nations League group winners who did not finish in the top two of their qualifying groups will get another chance to qualify via the play-offs. These teams will be divided into four play-off paths, each consisting of single-match semi-finals and a final. The winners of the four play-off paths will also qualify.

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