FIFA, global soccer’s governing body and arguably the most powerful sports organization in the world, announced this week it was lifting a ban that kept Russian teams from participating in international competitions, clearing the way for the country’s men’s and women’s teams to take part in their respective U-17 World Cups.
FIFA’s decision came a week after the executive committee of UEFA, European soccer’s governing body and one whose influence in the sport is eclipsed only by FIFA, moved to lift its own boycott of Russian teams, imposed after the country’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.