FIFA has responded to the letter from the Ukrainian Football Association, which was sent to the address of FIFA Secretary General Matthias Grafstrom and UEFA Secretary General Theodore Theodoridis regarding the unacceptable error in the image of the map of Ukraine during the broadcast of the draw ceremony for the European qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
“We confirm the receipt of your letter dated December 13, 2024, and we would like to thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. We take the concerns expressed by the Ukrainian Football Association with great respect and understand the sensitivity of this matter.
The infographic map in question was developed by a third party — an external contractor providing the relevant services. Upon discovering the problem, we immediately took steps to resolve the situation, including removing the image from circulation. Furthermore, we are conducting an internal review to ensure that such errors do not recur in the future.
We are fully aware of the delicacy of this issue, and although the incident was unintentional, we sincerely regret any moral harm it may have caused, and we appreciate your mutual understanding as we responsibly work to address this situation.
Please feel free to contact us if you need any further clarifications or would like to discuss this matter more broadly going forward,” the letter signed by FIFA's member associations liaison director Elkhan Mammadov states.
