FIFA president Gianni Infantino opens door for banned country to return to the World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has opened the door for the return of a banned country to the 2026 World Cup.

The 23rd showpiece will take place across the North America, with the United States, Canada and Mexico hosting the first ever expanded 48-team tournament after beating a rival bid from Morocco.

It will also be the first time in history that that three countries shared hosting responsibilities, with 11 stadiums in the US staging games, as well as with three cities in Mexico and two in Canada.

The trio have all qualified automatically and as is standard practice the remaining 45 teams have to qualify for the tournament - with a group stage draw not taking place until December 2025.

However, FIFA chief Infantino has admitted he is open to a shock return from Russia, who hosted the 2018 event.

After Russia completed a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian Football Union (RFU) has been banned from both FIFA and UEFA competitions.

Men's and women's teams have been prohibited from playing in the World Cup or European Championships, with domestic club sides like Zenit Petersburg and CSKA Moscow also not allowed to play in UEFA competitions.

Russia and Belarus have also been been banned from the Olympics.

Because of the ongoing conflict, Russia were the only UEFA member not present in the European qualification draw but amid an alliance with US president Donald Trump, who has been speaking to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about a peace agreement, Infantino has not ruled a change in stance.

Gianni Infantino has opened the door for Russia's return. Image: Getty

"We want to have all the countries playing," he said while in Northern Ireland for meetings.

"We all hope that peace talks will be successful, because I think it is important that we support it for the world, much more than for football, that we have peace."

Trump also met with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House for a tense televised meeting where he told him "you don't have the cards".

Infantino was at Trump's inauguration at the White House and present at a recent Miami event where he called Zelenskyy a "dictator".

Having faced criticism, Infantino defended his relationship with Trump, stating: "I think it is absolutely crucial for the success of a World Cup to have a close relationship with the president,"