The key facts

  • Mikhail Degtyarev announced the existence of a “plan B” in case Canada refuses visas, without revealing its contents
  • The IIHF placed the Russian national team tenth in the 2027 World Juniors ranking, replacing Norway in the schedule
  • Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Norway, Latvia and Denmark refused to play matches against Russia at the 2027 World Championship; Switzerland had earlier refused as well

The minister's statement and the context of the CAS decision

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said on the air of a program on the Zvezda TV channel that the Russian Ice Hockey Federation has developed a backup plan in case the Canadian authorities refuse to issue visas to Russian players for the 2027 World Junior Championship, which will be held in Edmonton and Red Deer. “We have a plan ‘B’, and we will not reveal it. Everything will be good for Russia and bad for Canada. Because it will lose the right to host international competitions,” Gazeta.Ru quotes the minister as saying..

What changed after the arbitration ruling

On October 30, the Court of Arbitration for Sport fully upheld the FHR's appeal and overturned the International Ice Hockey Federation's decision to suspend Russia. The IIHF said it would urgently assess the steps and time needed to implement the ruling and address its operational consequences, while also expressing dissatisfaction with the CAS verdict. A practical consequence was a change to the 2027 World Junior Championship schedule: the Russian national team, which had not taken part in previous tournaments, was given tenth place in the ranking of the upcoming tournament, replacing Norway in the bracket.

Refusals by European federations

Following the CAS ruling, six national federations — Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Norway, Latvia and Denmark — refused to play matches against the Russian national team at the 2027 World Championship in Germany. Earlier, Switzerland also announced its refusal to play Russia at the World Junior Championship. Thus, Russia's return to international hockey is being met with resistance from part of the European federations, while the question of visas for the trip to Canada for the 2027 World Junior Championship remains open — the contents of the “plan B” have not been officially disclosed.