2026 World Cup: Russia wants to invite Cameroon and Nigeria to play | OneFootball

Gianni Infantino - Vladimir Poutine

Excluded from the upcoming 2026 World Cup, Russia has no intention of sitting idle next summer. The Russian Football Federation is working on a project for an "alternative World Cup". Nigeria and Cameroon could be among the invited teams.

DR Congo, Cameroon, and Nigeria, all knocked out of the race for the 2026 World Cup, may soon receive an unexpected offer. According to Onet's reports, the Russian Football Federation is developing an "alternative World Cup" tournament exclusively featuring teams that failed to qualify for the 2026 finals. The competition is slated for June 2026, running parallel to the official World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Two groups have reportedly already been drafted: Russia, Serbia, Chile, and Nigeria in one pool; Greece, Peru, Venezuela, and Cameroon in the other.

Suspended from all FIFA competitions since 2022 due to the ongoing war against Ukraine, Russia is looking to make its voice heard in hopes of being reinstated in time for the 2030 World Cup (Spain – Morocco – Portugal). Nothing is official yet, but this plan underlines Russia's determination to regain international visibility after being sidelined by FIFA.