Football in post Soviet Russia | |
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Country | Russia |
Governing body | RFS[1] |
National team(s) | Russia |
Clubs | List of football clubs in Russia |
National competitions | |
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Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
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Association football is the most popular sport in Russia, surpassing ice hockey by a wide margin. Men's football is overseen by the Russian Football Union, having the Russian Premier League as the first tier of the Russian football league system, with the Russian Football National League being the second tier.[2][3][4][5]
On 28 February 2022, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and in accordance with a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA and UEFA suspended the participation of Russia, including in the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The Russian Football Union unsuccessfully appealed the FIFA and UEFA bans to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which upheld the bans.[6]