The Fédération Internationale de Football Association—or FIFA—will ban Russia from international competition, preventing its national team from qualifying for this year’s World Cup, the New York Times reports.
The official announcement is set to come from the organization on Monday, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 23. The Union of European Football Associations is also reportedly honoring the ban.
Russia was set to compete for one of Europe’s final spots in the tournament in just a few weeks. The decision follows FIFA’s initial proposal of sanctions against Russia, such as preventing it from holding international matches and temporarily banning the country’s name, flag, and national anthem from competitions. Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic had pushed for the ban in regards to the World Cup playoff, while France, England, and the U.S. agreed they would not compete against Russia either.
FIFA’s first set of punishments was “totally unacceptable,” according to Cezary Kulesza, the president of Poland’s soccer federation.
“FIFA has suspended Russia,” Kulesza has since written on Twitter. “Fighting for the right case was effective! We have shown that strength is in solidarity. We just acted right. Now it is about helping Ukraine, which we will be doing as the Polish Football Association. #SolidarityWithUkraine”
The ban follows the International Olympic Committee’s call for Russian athletes and teams to be prohibited from competing, as Olympic officials cited a violation of the Olympic Truce, which was signed before the Beijing Winter Games and was violated once Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine.
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