The key facts
- Karpin rated Russia's chances of playing at Euro 2028 as '50-50'
- Russia will play Uzbekistan and Venezuela in November
- The suspension of Russian teams has been in effect since February 2022
Karpin allowed for Russia's participation at Euro 2028
Russia head coach Valery Karpin said in an interview with Match TV that he does not rule out the Russian team's participation at the 2028 European Championship, which will be held in the UK. According to him, the probability of admission is roughly equal to the probability of non-admission. 'Will we play at Euro 2028? I do allow for it, yes. The probability? As in the well-known joke: 50-50. Either we play, or we don't,' Karpin said.
November friendlies
During the upcoming November break, Russia will play two matches: on November 12 in Tashkent against Uzbekistan and on November 17 in Krasnodar against Venezuela.
Context of the suspension
Russian clubs and national teams have been suspended from tournaments under the auspices of FIFA and UEFA since February 2022. On February 2, 2026, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that Russia's suspension had not produced the desired result and that the question of Russian teams' return needed to be considered. However, The Times later reported that the FIFA Council does not intend to consider the question of admitting the Russians for fear of criticism from European countries. Earlier, Karpin also praised the FIFA reform.
