Russia will take part in the first Central Asian Football Championship in June along with seven other men’s teams, the Football Association of Tajikistan announced on Monday.
Russian teams are banned from participating in European and FIFA tournaments after the invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
The Russian team will take part in the new regional tournament along with the former Soviet republics of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. Afghanistan, Iran and another country yet to be confirmed will complete squads for games scheduled in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The Central Asian Football Association was formed in 2014 as one of the five regions of the Asian Football Confederation and is headquartered in Tajikistan. According to the Football Association of Tajikistan, Russia has already accepted an invitation to the event in June.
The initiative could spark debate over Russia’s possible entry into the Asian Football Confederation (CAF) as the country seeks to return to international football competition.
In January, Russian Football Association president Alexander Dyukov withdrew his December 2022 threat to join CAF after meeting with European football officials. However, no resolution has yet been announced. Last month, Dyukov took part in the CAF congress in Bahrain, where he held talks with the president of the organization.
In 2022, the Russian men’s team played only three friendly matches against Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. At the end of the month, the team is scheduled to play with Iran and Iraq.