FIFA announces Russia will play as RFU in World Cup qualifying; won't be banned yet

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Russia won’t be eliminated from World Cup qualifying just yet, however, FIFA announced on Sunday that the squad will play using the "RFU" acronym for the country’s soccer federation.

The FIFA Bureau – which features the six regional soccer confederation presidents – also ruled that the Russian flag and national anthem won’t be associated with the team when they get back on the field.

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Russia's Fedor Smolov watches during the World Cup 2022 group H qualifying soccer match against Cyprus at GSP stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. (Danil Shamkin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

FIFA also said the RFU team won’t be allowed to play home games. They can only play on neutral sites and without any fans in attendance.

"FIFA will continue its ongoing dialogue with the IOC, UEFA and other sport organizations to determine any additional measures or sanctions," FIFA said in a statement, "including a potential exclusion from competitions, that shall be applied in the near future should the situation not be improving rapidly."

Poland is expected to play Russia in a World Cup playoff semifinal on March 24, but the country immediately rejected the decision by FIFA. On Saturday, Poland said it would refuse to play Russia in Moscow. The winner of that match would host Sweden or the Czech Republic on March 29 to decide who advances to the Nov. 21-Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar.

"Today’s FIFA decision is totally unacceptable," Polish football federation president Cezary Kulesza tweeted. "We are not interested in participating in this game of appearances. Our stance remains intact: Polish National Team