Tajikistan has refused to play a football match against Russia, following a similar decision by Pakistan two days earlier, Russian RBK reported on October 7.
The match was expected to take place in November. Officials in Dushanbe confirmed receiving an invitation from Russia but stated they already have commitments with other teams on those dates. Tajikistan’s national team is ranked 103rd in the FIFA rankings.
On October 5, it was announced that Pakistan, currently ranked 197th by FIFA, also withdrew from a friendly match against Russia that was scheduled for October.
In 2024, Russia’s national football team played only three friendly matches — against Belarus (97th in FIFA rankings), Serbia (35th), and Vietnam (116th).
Earlier, Ukrainian futsal team secured a historic bronze in a Futsal World Cup defeating French team with a 7:1 score.
