Georgia have qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France as a result of Russia being banned from international competition due to its invasion of Ukraine, global governing body World Rugby said on Thursday.

Russia’s invasion has led to sanctions across global sport, and Belarus, a key staging area for the offensive, has also been punished.

World Rugby, which banned Russia and Belarus on February 28th and suspended the Rugby Union of Russia’s membership, said on Thursday that the ban meant Russia could not play its remaining World Cup qualifying matches in the 2022 European Championship.

“Therefore these matches will be treated as abandoned,” World Rugby said, adding that the updated standings meant that Georgia had sealed its spot at the World Cup.