- Sweden and Norway said Tuesday they won’t play Russia at the 2027 World Championship, joining Finland
- Sweden’s federation says it is not boycotting the tournament itself, only the games against Russia
- Read below for the sponsors pulling out, Germany’s hosting doubts and what it means for the World Juniors
The wall against Russia’s return to international hockey just got a lot taller.
Sweden and Norway both announced Tuesday that their national teams will not play Russia at the upcoming World Championship, one day after Finland said the same. It is a direct response to the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that forced the IIHF to take Russia back.
Swedish federation chairman Anders Larsson was asked about the country’s position after its board met. “The Three Crowns will not play Russia in coming world championship tournaments,” Larsson said. He also told Swedish news agency TT that playing Russia is “unthinkable” and that it “will be very difficult” to hold tournaments under the current conditions.
Sweden is not pulling out of the event. Larsson said Swedish sport has a tradition against boycotts, so the refusal covers games against Russia only. It also flips the federation’s stance from last week, when it indicated a boycott was off the table after the ruling.
Norway, the 2026 bronze medalist, cited player and staff safety in its statement and called for Russia to be excluded from all international championships while the war in Ukraine continues.
Norway’s statement referred only to the men’s World Championship in May. Its general secretary, Petter Salsten, said Norway could end up removed from the World Juniors to make room for Russia, since Norway was the last team to qualify.
The pressure is also coming from outside the rinks. Finnish tire maker Nokian Tyres said it will stop sponsoring the World Championship if Russia takes part. Swedish furniture company AJ Produkter, a sponsor since 1989, said it will ask that its logo not be shown if Russia plays. The head of Germany’s hockey federation said the country could pull out of hosting next year’s tournament over costs and security concerns.
The IIHF has not said how it would handle a forfeit. Check out the statement it released after Friday’s ruling:
The first real test is the World Juniors opening Dec. 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer. Turku has already said it will drop its 2028 hosting role if Russia plays, and Hockey Canada has pushed back on the return as well. See the announcement from the city:
Sweden’s sport minister, Jakob Forssmed, called the decision a flat no to facing Russia and said it was made together with Finland, Norway and Denmark. With Norway in, at least one team in each of the World Championship’s two 16-team groups has now pledged to sit out any game against Russia.
