The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is set to get underway on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand.
Reigning champions the USA are looking for a three-peat while England and Sarina Wiegman will want to add to their European Championship title.
The Russian national team will not take part in the competition this summer after being banned by FIFA.
The Sporting News takes a look at Russia's suspension and why it was enforced.
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Why are Russia banned from World Cup 2023?
Russia did in fact begin their qualifying campaign and were off to a very good start. They won five of their six matches, scoring 19 goals and conceding just three.
The reason they have been banned from the competition is due to the nation's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Both FIFA and UEFA decided between February and May that the national team and any Russia clubs would not be able to compete in their competitions. This includes the Champions League, Europa League, World Cup and Euros.
The Russian Women's team did in fact qualify for the 2022 UEFA Women's European Championship, but were replaced by Portugal in May 2022 due to the ban.
When will Russia's World Cup ban end?
Russia's ban has lasted over 12 months now, but there is no end in sight for them. UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin said it would not be easy to lift the suspension until the war ends.
"My personal opinion is that until the war stops, it will be very hard for us to change anything," he said.
With the war still ongoing, it would be fair to assume that Russia will be banned for the foreseeable future.
UEFA have already banned them from Euro 2024 qualifying, meaning the men's side will not be at the competition in Germany next year.