The winter in Ukraine has been the toughest since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022, says Ukrainian-British football journalist Andrew Todos.
"It's been minus 20 degrees, a lot of snow, and people are freezing in their homes. People want a positive summer, and that's something that football can somehow provide," he says ahead of Ukraine's World Cup playoff against Sweden in Valencia on Thursday.
“Even more important now”
What would it mean for the Ukrainian people if the men's national team went to the World Cup?
"It would be huge. It was tough to miss the 2022 World Cup the same year the war broke out. Back then it would have been a platform to show that the war was still going on, but it's even more important now in that respect," says Todos.
The winner of the semi-final will face either Poland or Albania in a qualifying final five days later.
The team that advances will face Tunisia, the Netherlands and Japan in group games. The first match will be played in Mexico - the other two in the United States. Canada is also hosting the World Cup.
When the championship is decided in the United States, it is even more urgent to reach the World Cup given the geopolitical context, says Andrew Todos.
Since the US and Israel started their war against Iran on February 28, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for example, has warned that the world risks forgetting the Russian war of invasion in Ukraine.
"There are many other major news events going on right now that are overshadowing what is actually still happening in Ukraine. People in Ukraine are still being attacked by missiles every day in many different places," says Andrew Todos.
From a football perspective, he adds:
Ukrainian fans die every week.
Believe it will be sold out
Due to the war, Ukraine is forced to play its home matches in other countries. The match against Sweden will be played at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia in Spain.
The arena holds around 26,000 spectators, and since there is "home-field advantage" for Ukraine, the Swedish supporters will be at a disadvantage in the stands.
"I think it will be sold out with a lot of support for Ukraine, and that even ultras will be there. The majority of them are fighting in the war, but there will certainly be some who may be able to leave temporarily to be there," says Andrew Todos.
Semi-finals: Italy - Northern Ireland and Wales - Bosnia-Herzegovina. Final: Wales/Bosnia-Herzegovina - Italy/Northern Ireland.
Semi-finals: Ukraine - Sweden and Poland - Albania. Final: Ukraine/Sweden - Poland/Albania.
Semi-finals: Turkey - Romania and Slovakia - Kosovo. Final: Slovakia/Kosovo - Turkey/Romania.
Semi-finals: Denmark - North Macedonia and Czech Republic - Ireland. Final: Czech Republic/Ireland - Denmark/North Macedonia.
The semi-finals will be played on March 26. The finals on March 31.
The final winners will qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
