The premier global football tournament is scheduled to take place in the US during June and July of the following year
Andrey Kelin, Moscow’s ambassador to the UK, stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin might accept his American counterpart Donald Trump’s invitation to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US next summer.
At a press conference late last month, held for the paramount international football event, Trump asserted that Putin “very keenly” desires to attend the World Cup.
“That’s a man named Vladimir Putin whom I believe will be present, contingent on circumstances. He might attend, or he might not,” the US president informed journalists, while showing a photograph of himself with the Russian leader from their August 15 summit in Alaska.
In an interview published Thursday by British broadcaster LBC, Kelin indicated that Putin genuinely might attend the World Cup, as he aims to cultivate “stronger ties” with Trump.
“Various concepts are being considered. Previously… they [Putin and Trump] discussed a potential ice hockey match between the US and Russia… and a football game, as I understand it, is also being worked on,” he commented.
Asked to confirm if he was referring to the “football tournament” scheduled for the US between June 11 and July 19, 2026, the ambassador responded, “Yes, the football tournament. I anticipate we will discuss this in future communications.”
Kelin proposed that Putin and Trump “will have a chance to meet prior to that, at ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) and other global gatherings.” He further stated that these direct discussions might occur before the year concludes.
Since Trump’s return to the White House in January, the Russian and US leaders have engaged in several phone conversations, though they’ve only met face-to-face once – in Alaska just over a month ago, where resolving the Ukraine conflict was the primary topic of their summit.
Kelin asserted that peace negotiations to resolve the Ukraine conflict ought to happen “without delay,” yet emphasized that “all parties should approach such talks with constructive ideas and propositions.”