The idea of having a draw to decide who plays who at football tournaments is to ensure the fixture list is random and free of bias. Sure, the seeding system can keep certain teams apart, but that is to reward them for their past performances: it could be their world ranking, league position or the impressive manner in which they qualified for the competition in the first place.
However, there are some fixtures – particularly in international football – that are banned. If two nations are drawn against one another, the balls will be put back in the bag and a re-draw made. Why? Because years of conflict and war have made that particular fixture simply too dangerous to play. A spokesperson for the governing body has said:
It is of the utmost importance for UEFA that the safety of fans, players and all relevant players is guaranteed in all UEFA competitions.
While UEFA is adamant that sport and politics should remain separate, there are occasions where clubs and national teams from certain national associations have to be kept apart until further notice because safety and security cannot be guaranteed.
At the time of writing, there are six international fixtures that are on both FIFA and UEFA’s banned list:
Russia vs Ukraine
This one is a bit of a no brainer. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ensures that international fixtures between the two countries are prohibited… and unlikely to happen any time in the near future. This fixture has actually been on the banned list since 2014, when tensions between the two nations began to ratchet up, although it was Russia’s unsanctioned military action in Ukraine that saw the Russian national team, and its constituent clubs, blacklisted by FIFA and UEFA.
In 2023, the two governing bodies began to re-think their stance as far as junior age group football is concerned, but Russia will not be allowed to play in World Cup 2026 qualifiers. It was rumoured that they were planning a workaround by leaving UEFA and instead joining the Asian Football Confederation, which the country’s geography would have allowed them to do. However, those plans have now been aborted.
Spain vs Gibraltar
Although there’s no military conflict raging between Spain and Gibraltar, sour relations between the countries mean that they are banned from playing against one another by both UEFA and FIFA. It’s the status of Gibraltar that causes the aggravation. The country’s people have longed for independence for years, and in 2007 the constitution of Gibraltar was changed: it remained a British overseas territory, but was handed more freedom in terms of self governance.
The rub is that Gibraltar is the centre of a territorial claim by Spain, who challenged UEFA when they allowed Gibraltar to register for membership as an independent entity. The administrative conflict between Gibraltar, Spain and the UK has been going on for decades, and there are few signs that that will change any time soon. As recently as 2024, two Spanish internationals – Rodri and Alvaro Morata – were handed one-game bans by UEFA after leading the crowd in a rendition of ‘Gibraltar is Spanish’ while celebrating their EURO 2024 triumph.
Armenia vs Azerbaijan
Although not powerhouses of world football, both Armenia and Azerbaijan are part of the UEFA confederation: meaning that, technically, they could be drawn against one another in World Cup and European Championship qualifiers. And that would be problematic. The two countries simply do not like each other, and haven’t since the 1980s, when conflict broke out over the Nagorno-Karabakh region – the Armenian-heavy district wanted independence and sovereignty from Azerbaijan, who in turn didn’t want to relinquish it.
Bloody battles have been waged – as recently as 2023, Azerbaijan broke a ceasefire agreement between the countries and launched military action on what has become known as the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. In football, fixtures between Armenia and Azerbaijan are prohibited; a ban that extends to its continental club competitions, too. When Arsenal met Chelsea in the 2019 Europa League final, to be played in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku, their Armenian midfielder, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, was advised not to play due to security fears.
Kosovo vs Serbia/Russia/Bosnia-Herzegovina
To describe diplomatic relations in the former Eastern Bloc as ‘strained’ would be the mother of all understatements. One of the independent states that is at the centre of the furore is Kosovo, who became recognised as an independent republic in 2008. They were admitted by UEFA in May 2016.
The Kosovan War, which raged between 1998-99, was fought between the mostly Albanian-led Kosovan Liberation Army and the troops of Serbia, the controlling force of the country. Today, Serbia does not recognise Kosovo as an independent republic, and so deep does the bad blood run that the two nations simply cannot play football against one another without it being a major security risk.
The diplomatic problems have extended to other countries. When Kosovo played Romania in a Nations League game in November 2024, the home crowd in Bucharest allegedly sang inflammatory songs, including ‘Kosovo is Serbia’. The Kosovan players walked off the pitch in protest, with UEFA subsequently awarding Romania a 3-0 walkover victory. The two teams have played against one another three times since 2016, with each ending in some kind of disciplinary action being metered out.
Although joining Kosovo vs Serbia on the banned list are Kosovo vs Russia and Kosovo vs Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Russian government stands with Serbia, refusing to recognise Kosovo’s independence. They also have strong diplomatic ties, with the Serbians travelling to Russia for an international friendly in 2024 despite their UEFA ban.
Bosnia and Serbia, meanwhile, are also close allies. That dates back to the Bosnian War, when the Serbians pitched in to help Bosnia as the former republic of Yugoslavia disintegrated. There’s a strong Serbian presence within Bosnia-Herzegovina to this day, and so there remains an anti-Kosovan sentiment in the country that prohibits the nations meeting on the football pitch.
