Following the invasion of Ukraine, Poland's national football team has announced that they will not play their World Cup play-off match against Russia next month.

Following the invasion, UEFA docked Russia one match, but declined to pull them out of World Cup qualifying. As a result, Russia remains in Path B of the European Play-offs, alongside Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Poland, with the latter set to face the former on March 24 in Moscow.

If Russia defeats Poland, they will face the winner of the Sweden-Czech Republic match in a one-off final for a place in the Qatar showpiece. Cezary Kulesza, the president of the Polish Football Association, has tweeted that his team would no longer participate in the tournament.

"No more words, time to act!" Kulesza remarked. The Polish national team will not participate in the play-off match against Russia due to the Russian Federation's increased hostility towards Ukraine. He stated that they are in discussions with the Swedish and Czech federations in order to present a united front to FIFA, as it is "the only right decision."

The news comes just one day after the three federations of Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic issued an unified statement requesting clarity on the situation in Ukraine, as well as "urgent alternative options."

"Based on the current alarming development in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including the security situation, the Football Associations of Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic express their firm position that the playoff matches to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, scheduled for March 24 and 29, 2022, should not be played on the territory of the Russian Federation," according to the statement.