FIFA 23 will not have the Russian team or Russian clubs, EA has confirmed to Eurogamer.

Following its decision to pull Russia out of FIFA 22 in the wake of Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, EA has said the Russian national team and all Russian clubs will not be in FIFA 23 from launch.

“EA Sports stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and like so many voices across the world of football, calls for peace and an end to the invasion of Ukraine,” a statement issued to Eurogamer reads.

“In line with our partners at FIFA and UEFA, EA Sports will not include the Russian national team or Russian clubs in FIFA 23.”

In March, EA announced it would stop all sales of games and content, including virtual currency bundles, in Russia and its ally Belarus while the invasion continued.

It then pulled the Russian national team and Russian clubs from FIFA 22, and stopped selling Russia items in Ultimate Team, FIFA’s hugely popular loot-box fuelled mode.

However, these items were not taken from players who already owned them, leaving players free to actively trade on the Ultimate Team auction house – albeit with price ranges fixed.

Later in March, EA removed Russian and Belarusian teams from its esports leagues.

This week a report claimed Russia wants to make its own game engine in response to western companies pulling out of the country.