UEFA has banned the organization of seven matches between European national teams, Kosovo and Albania are mentioned

UEFA has banned a total of seven international football matches from ever taking place.

Unlike club football – where teams can play each other regardless of rivalry – international football is significantly different.

Teams can be banned from playing each other due to conflict or political tension, while individual nations have been banned entirely from competing in UEFA or FIFA-sanctioned events.

When it comes to UEFA-sanctioned competitions, a total of six matches have been prevented from taking place over the past few decades.

Russia has been banned from playing in UEFA-sanctioned competitions since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but the two national teams were kept separate even before that.

They have only played each other on two occasions and not since 1999. Russia beat Ukraine 3-2 in Euro 2000 qualifiers in September 1998, before a 1-1 draw between the teams a year later.

Belarus is also kept separate from Ukraine, as a result of their part in the invasion of Ukraine as an ally of Russia.

During that time period, the war in Kosovo took place, 1998-1999. Serbian forces had attempted to ethnically cleanse Albanians in Kosovo.

The war involved massive atrocities and ethnic cleansing against Albanians and required NATO to intervene against Yugoslavia, ultimately forcing Serbia to withdraw.

The Kosovo – Serbia match is also not a match that can be held by UEFA, while Bosnia also cannot play against Kosovo due to their Serbian entity Republika Srpska, which does not recognize Kosovo's independence.

Serbia and Albania can and do play against each other, with the will of the federation leaders, but not with the will of the Albanian fans.

In 2014, during a match between the two sides, the ethnic Albanian flag appeared on the pitch, with Serbia defender Stefan Mitrovic attempting to desecrate it. The result was a massive brawl between the two teams, with Serbian fans taking over the pitch and four Albanian players suffering serious injuries.

UEFA suspended the match and ultimately awarded a 3-0 victory to Albania.

Russia also cannot play with Kosovo as it is an ally of Serbia and does not recognize Kosovo's independence.

Gibraltar and Spain also don't play against each other. The Spanish government does not recognize Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, as a state or country. /Telegraph/