IIHF Bans Russia From 2027 World Juniors, Men's Worlds, U-18s, RIHF To Appeal

The IIHF Council had to re-analyze Russia's eligibility on an event-by-event basis for the 2026-27 season. The Russian Ice Hockey Federation said it's appealing the latest decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.The International Ice Hockey Federation announced on Thursday that Russia will not play in four tournaments this upcoming season.Russia is not allowed to participate in the IIHF men's World Championship, World Junior Championship and the World Men's and Women's Under-18s in 2027. A decision on the 2027 women's World Championship is expected to be reviewed separately in November 2026.W. Graeme Roustan and IIHF president Luc Tardif discuss the safety concerns of including Russian and Belarusian teams in competition.moreVideosThe IIHF Council had to re-analyze Russia's eligibility in tournaments after its disciplinary board annulled a complete ban on the country from 2026-27 competitions back in May. The Russian Ice Hockey Federation appealed the initial ban and requested reinstatement.The IIHF Council, meanwhile, has reviewed Russia's eligibility on an event-by-event basis. It's tended to align its regulations and suspensions with the IOC in the past."At a recent meeting, the Council reviewed and discussed the assessment of each individual IIHF Championship separately, considering safety, security, operational feasibility and sport integrity in relation to the RIHF's requested participation," the IIHF said in a statement on Thursday.Based on those considerations and Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the IIHF Council still isn't ready to reintegrate the country's national teams.Team Russia hasn't played in IIHF competitions since its full-scale invasion began in February 2022. It didn't participate in the 2026 Olympics, either, and the NHL did not include a Russian squad in the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off.For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.