The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced today, Friday, the suspension of the federations of the Republic of Congo and Pakistan and the deprivation of their national teams from participating in international competitions.

The federation said in a statement on its official website: The federations of the Republic of Congo and Pakistan will not participate in international competitions due to problems related to government interference in the affairs of the Congolese Football Federation, and the failure of the Pakistani Federation to approve the election laws for sports federations according to the statutes submitted by the International and Asian Football Federations.

The statement explained that the membership of the Congolese Federation will remain suspended until further notice, while the suspension of the Pakistani Federation will be lifted if it approves the statutes approved by "FIFA".

The teams and clubs representing the Congolese Federation will not be able to participate in international competitions and tournaments, most notably the Congolese national team's two matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers next month against the Tanzanian and Zambian national teams in Group Six, which is led by the Moroccan national team with nine points from three matches.