- IIHF Council re-analyzed Russia’s request and kept the ban in place for 2026-27
- Belarus cleared for three tournaments, its first IIHF events since 2022
- Read below for every event Russia was denied and what still gets reviewed in November
Russia is staying out.
The IIHF Council announced Thursday that it re-analyzed the Russian Ice Hockey Federation’s request to enter teams in major international competition and kept the ban in place for the 2026-27 season. Safety, security, operational feasibility and sport integrity all factored into the call.
That request covered five events: the 2027 Men’s World Championship, the Women’s Worlds, the World Junior Championship, and the Under-18 men’s and women’s tournaments. Four came back denied.
Here’s the rundown on what Russia is locked out of:
Only the Women’s Worlds avoided a ruling, and that comes down to scheduling. The tournament has moved to November going forward, so the Council will run a separate review on whether Russia’s women can play the 2027 edition. That review happens in November of this year.
Belarus got a different answer. The IIHF confirmed three tournaments for next season: the U-18 Men’s Worlds, the Division IV Women’s Worlds and the U-18 Division IIIB Women’s Worlds.
Those will be the country’s first IIHF events since 2022, when the federation shut out both nations after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Belarusian requests to enter the Men’s Worlds and the World Juniors got the same answer Russia received.
Not everyone is on board with that reintegration. Latvia won’t play games against Belarus at the men’s U-18s, and Lithuania’s federation says its players will sit out the Women’s Division III U-18s if Belarus is in the field, per Daily Faceoff.
Thursday’s ruling closes a process that started in May, when the IIHF scrapped its blanket ban and moved to judging Russia event by event.
A few weeks later the IOC lifted Russia’s Olympic suspension. Neither move opened the door.
Both events are major stops on the calendar. Edmonton and Red Deer host the 2027 World Juniors this winter, and the Men’s Worlds head to Germany in May.
Everyone else’s World Juniors buildup is already rolling, with the Summer Showcase running this week in Windsor:
Check out the venue Germany landed for its Worlds opener, a 61,574-seat stadium in Gelsenkirchen:
No Russian team will be at either one.
