Two Players from Ukraine’s National Team Will Miss the First Playoff Match for the 2026 World Cup

The Ukrainian national team will not be able to count on two of its leading players in the first match of the 2026 World Cup qualifying playoffs.

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Defender Yehoriy Konoplia and midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi received warnings in yesterday’s qualifying match against Iceland (2—0). Since they had already been booked before, they will be forced to serve a one-game suspension.

Let us remind you that in the 2026 World Cup qualification playoffs, the Ukrainian team will play two matches — a semifinal and a final. The opponents of the «blue-yellows» at this stage will be determined by a draw on November 20.