The IIHF announced an update this morning to Russia’s eligibility to compete in IIHF competitions for the 2026-27 season. The announcement came during the organization’s annual congress held in Zurich, Switzerland this week.
In its update, the IIHF wrote that the original decision made by the IIHF Council in January to rule out Russian participation in IIHF events for the 2026-27 season, which was appealed by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, has been overturned by the IIHF’s Disciplinary Board.
The IIHF stressed that this does not mean that Russia has automatically been reintegrated. Instead, they said the decision has been sent back to the IIHF Council to be re-analyzed “based on safety, security, operational, and sporting plans.”
As a result, the IIHF says it will decide on Russian eligibility to participate in IIHF competitions “on an event-by-event basis.”
While the decision is by no means an indication that Russia will be able to quickly re-enter IIHF events, it does mark a notable development in Russia’s favor as the country looks to return to full international competition. That the country has no longer been fully ruled out for the upcoming season is an improvement from their position in the last few years. The move comes just one day after Belarus was reinstated for IIHF tournaments.
Russia and Belarus have not been allowed to participate in any major international competition since the former’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As a result of the conflict, the IIHF cited security concerns in keeping the country out of competition.
Russia’s ice hockey federation issued a statement against the ban in February, which read in part: “the argument regarding the impossibility of ensuring the safety of participants in international tournaments involving Russian national teams is no longer relevant, lacks any basis, and is merely a formal pretext for denying our country’s participation.”
The key underlying issue with Russia’s participation is the stance of numerous European hockey federations, including superpowers Sweden, Finland, and Czechia.
Sweden’s federation has previously strongly backed the IIHF’s ban, calling it “absolutely necessary.” The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported earlier this year that it was “highly unlikely Finland, Sweden or Czechia would agree to play in any tournament featuring a team from Russia with the war ongoing.” The source he cited “also questioned whether the Canadian government would allow its athletes to participate in such an event.”
Now that the IIHF will have to decide on Russian participation on an event-by-event basis, it appears the governing body’s disciplinary board has dealt a blow to the IIHF’s previous argument that cited safety concerns.
While this is by no means a guarantee Russia will return to international competition at any specific point, it does make that a more realistic possibility than it has been at any point since the country’s ban was originally imposed, though significant opposition from other federations remains.