FIFA, UEFA keep six international pairings apart amid tensions

FIFA and UEFA have kept six international football pairings apart because of political disputes, territorial claims and security concerns. The restrictions affect Spain and Gibraltar, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kosovo and Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, Russia and Kosovo, and Russia and Ukraine.

Spain and Gibraltar remain separated in UEFA competition draws because of the dispute over Gibraltar’s sovereignty. Gibraltar has been under British control since 1713, while Spain continues to claim the territory. That disagreement has also carried into international football, where meetings between the two sides are avoided.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are kept apart because of their conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. The dispute has produced several periods of armed conflict, including fighting in 2020 and 2023. UEFA has applied the same separation to clubs from both countries in European competitions. Security concerns linked to the dispute also contributed to Armenia international Henrikh Mkhitaryan missing Arsenal’s 2019 Europa League final in Baku.

Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 created another prohibited pairing. Serbia does not recognise Kosovo and still claims the territory, leading UEFA to ensure that their national teams are not drawn together. Bosnia and Herzegovina is also kept apart from Kosovo. Its position is connected to political divisions within Bosnia, including the stance of Republika Srpska, which has contributed to the country not recognising Kosovo’s independence.

Russia has likewise been separated from Kosovo because it rejects Kosovo’s independence and backs Serbia’s position. Russia’s suspension from international football has added another barrier to that fixture. The country’s national teams and clubs were suspended by FIFA and UEFA after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

That war has also made Russia-Ukraine meetings impossible. The conflict has disrupted Ukrainian football, with clubs relocating matches and players affected by the fighting. Together, the six separated pairings show how disputes outside football can influence competition draws and determine which international fixtures are allowed to take place.