Austria becomes the seventh team to refuse to play against Russia at the 2027 Hockey World Championship

The Austrian Ice Hockey Federation has stated that it will not take the ice against the Russian national team at the 2027 World Championship in Germany, but it does not intend to boycott the tournament itself. Six European teams had previously taken a similar position. The reason was the CAS decision that lifted the suspension of Russian hockey teams on October 30.

Aziz KarimovFirst published on tafs uz 4 November 2026 at 19:062 min read

The key facts

Austria refused to play against the Russian national team at the 2027 World Championship but is not withdrawing from the tournament
In total, seven European teams have spoken out against matches with Russia
On October 30, CAS lifted the suspension of Russian hockey teams, deeming the IIHF's evidence insufficient

Austria's position and the total number of refusals

The Austrian national ice hockey team will not play against the Russian team at the 2027 World Championship in Germany. This was announced by the managing director of the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation, Alexander Helwig, on the Austrian TV channel ORF: “Our position is quite clear: as long as the conflict continues, we oppose Russia's participation in international hockey tournaments. At this point, we will under no circumstances play against Russia. However, of course, the situation may still change by May.” Thus, Austria has become the seventh European country to oppose matches against the Russian national team: Finland, Sweden, Czechia, Norway, Denmark, and Latvia had previously taken a similar position. At the same time, none of these teams is refusing to take part in the championship itself.

The reason — the CAS decision and organizational consequences

The teams' statements were prompted by a decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which on October 30 lifted the restrictions on the participation of Russian hockey teams in international competitions. The court found that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) had not provided sufficient evidence to extend the suspension on security grounds. The situation has complicated preparations for the tournament: according to Life.ru, the German Ice Hockey Federation considered canceling the championship due to additional security costs and financial risks. The World Championship is scheduled to take place from May 13 to 30, 2027, in Germany, but the final list of participants and possible changes to the match schedule in light of the CAS decision have not yet been approved.