UEFA adds third host country for Euro 2026 to support Belarus
The European Football Association has expanded the geography of the 2026 UEFA Futsal Championship in an unusual way, adding a third country to the list of hosts - Slovenia. This decision was made to ensure the participation of the Belarusian national team in the final part of the tournament, as Latvia and Lithuania refused to host Belarusian teams for political and security reasons. The official UEFA website reported that such a decision was a compromise that will allow preserving the integrity and competitiveness of the championship. The competition of the anniversary tournament, the 13th in a row, will be held from January 18 to February 8, 2026, and more than twenty matches will be held in the territories of the three organizing countries. The Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, is set to host 18 matches, including all of the matches of the Belarusian national team, which has qualified for the final stage. In addition to the Belarusian team, the Slovenian capital will host two quarter-final matches, as well as a semi-final, a third-place match and a final. This creates a unique opportunity for Slovenian fans to follow key matches on home soil. In addition, the Latvian arenas in Riga and the Lithuanian arena in Kaunas will each host one group stage match of the championship, as well as one quarter-final. These two cities will be given important status in co-organizing the competition and ensuring a diverse cultural and sporting experience for participants and spectators. UEFA called its decision “fair and balanced”, emphasizing the desire to maintain sporting competition and create a level playing field for all teams. It is worth recalling that Ukraine also qualified for the tournament and will be playing on home soil, while Russia has been officially suspended from all international competitions due to political reasons. This once again highlights the political undertones and complexity of the situation surrounding international sporting events in the region. Earlier, it was reported that UEFA decided to ban the Ukrainian futsal team from holding a minute of silence in honor of those killed in strikes by Russian forces, which sparked further discussions about the politicization of sport and its role in today’s world. All this highlights the extent to which political and security issues influence sporting events and the efforts of organizers to find a balance between the values of equality, justice and safety.