Finland, Sweden and other national teams refuse to play Russia at the 2027 Ice Hockey World Championship

The court allowed Russia to return, but the federations did not

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on October 30 that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) must admit Russian national teams of all age groups to international tournaments, including the 2027 World Championship, which is scheduled to take place in May in Germany. The IIHF said it disagreed with the decision but would comply with it. Germany is now considering giving up its status as host country: the head of the German federation DEB, Franz Reindl... no, Frank H. Lutz said the court's decision 'fundamentally changes the situation' and that admitting Russia would have serious consequences for the host country in terms of security, politics and the economy. A two-day meeting of the IIHF executive board on this issue began on Monday, Euronews reports.

Who refused to play

Finland, Norway, Czechia, Latvia, Denmark and Sweden announced that they will not play against Russia at the 2027 championship; Austria is considering joining them. The Finnish federation said it will not take the ice against Russia as long as the war against Ukraine continues, and its head Heikki Hietanen is working to coordinate a joint position of the countries in order to tell the IIHF that 'none of us will play against Russia.' Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said that Russian athletes will not be welcome in Finland next year, and that she intends to discuss with her EU counterparts restricting Russian athletes' access to the entire Schengen area. Czechia made a separate point: Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar noted that the CAS decision does not oblige the country to issue visas to Russians — the ban on short-stay visas remains in place. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that Russia will not be admitted to the World Junior Championship in Alberta at the end of December. The court's decision does not apply to the Women's World Championship, which starts this week in Denmark without Russia's participation. USA Hockey did not respond to a request for comment.

Sponsors and the EU reaction

Two tournament sponsors said they are ready to leave if Russia takes part: Sweden's AJ Products, which has sponsored the championship since 1989, will ask that its logo not be displayed, while Finland's Nokian Tyres called continuing the sponsorship contrary to its values. The European Commission reminded that federations and member states are obliged to comply with EU sanctions, and that it does not support the normalization of the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes while the war continues, nor the use of Russian anthems, symbols and flags at European competitions. Separately, 21 members of the European Parliament called for sanctions and visa restrictions against Russia. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that 'by admitting Russian hockey, CAS paints the ice with Ukrainian blood,' and that Russia's return would give Moscow the international legitimacy it seeks.

What practically changes

The CAS decision formally opens the way for Russia to IIHF tournaments, but its actual implementation depends on the position of hosts and participants: without Germany as the organizer and with at least six national teams refusing to take the ice, holding the 2027 championship in the announced format is in question. It remains unclear whether the IIHF will decide to cancel or postpone the tournament and how it will enforce the court's verdict in practice — the federation promised to reveal the results of the executive board meeting later.