Throughout World Cup history, FIFA has taken the drastic step of banning countries from competing due to political circumstances, with three nations ultimately excluded for reasons far beyond football.

The expanded 2026 World Cup, which has increased from 32 to 48 teams, has opened the door for several debutants, Uzbekistan, Jordan, and Cape Verde among them, who are set to make their first appearance on the global stage next summer.

Russia

Russia remains suspended from FIFA competitions following its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

As a result, the national team has been unable to participate in qualifiers or FIFA-sanctioned tournaments and instead plays a limited schedule of international friendlies, mostly against non-European nations such as Zambia and Grenada.

More than three years into the conflict, civilian casualties in Ukraine had surpassed 13,800 by July 2025, and both FIFA and UEFA have maintained strict sanctions.

Russian clubs are also barred from European competitions including the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia was banned from the 1994 World Cup due to UN-imposed sanctions during the Yugoslav Wars.

In May 1992, Security Council Resolution 757 forbade the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) from taking part in international sporting events.

Though the team had qualified, the ruling prevented their participation in the tournament in the United States, marking one of the most significant politically driven exclusions in World Cup history.

South Africa

South Africa’s exclusion dates back to 1961 during the height of apartheid.

FIFA initially suspended the nation due to its racial segregation policies, though the ban was controversially lifted in 1963 under then-president Stanley Rous, an ally of the apartheid-era football authorities.

FIFA even attempted to place South Africa in an Asian qualifying group to ease African opposition.

Nonetheless, African federations successfully campaigned for their re-suspension. In 1976, after Joao Havelange replaced Rous, South Africa was formally expelled from FIFA. Only after apartheid ended were they reinstated in 1992.

Their footballing fortunes soon flourished, they won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996 and hosted the World Cup in 2010, before settling into a quieter but stable era.