Players, organisers and sponsors now face an uncertain 2027 Ice Hockey World Championship after European teams said they would refuse to face Russia, threatening a tournament whose draw and schedule were already set.
The rupture followed a 30 October ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that Russia must be readmitted to international ice hockey competitions, overturning the International Ice Hockey Federation ban imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The championship is due to be held in Duesseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and Mannheim from 13–30 May 2027. Its 16-team field includes 13 European teams, alongside Canada, Kazakhstan and the United States.
Russia had been excluded from International Ice Hockey Federation competitions since the invasion. The tournament was planned in Germany and its fixtures were drawn without a Russian team before the court intervened.
The federation opposed the ruling, saying it created “significant practical implications”, while acknowledging that it would comply with the court’s decision.
An IIHF meeting was scheduled for 2–3 November to address the ruling’s consequences. On 3 November, as that meeting took place, Norway told the federation it would not play Russia in the championship.
The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association said its concern was the safety and well-being of players, team personnel and their families. “Our assessment is that playing against Russia under the current circumstances could expose our players and team personnel to significant safety risks,” it said.
Denmark, Sweden, Latvia and the Czech Republic made the same commitment on 3 November. Finland also said it would refuse to play Russia.
Henrik Bach Nielsen, head of the Danish ice hockey federation, said: “For the sake of the integrity of ice hockey as a sport, we cannot see ourselves playing against Russia as things stand now. It will end in chaos if we do.”
Anders Larsson, chairman of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, said: “Our stance remains firm, and together with several other countries, we were in agreement that we would announce this decision jointly.”
Heikki Hietanen, chairman of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, said: “We are currently gathering as many countries as possible to form a common front to tell the IIHF that none of us will play against Russia in this situation.”
Latvia’s federation said that, “as long as Russia's war against Ukraine continues, Latvian national teams will not play against Russia or Belarus.”
Jan Cerny, general secretary of the Czech federation, said on 3 November that Prague had “clearly rejected the return of Russian national teams to international competitions under the current circumstances.”
Austria is considering joining the countries refusing to play Russia.
The dispute has also reached the tournament’s commercial and hosting arrangements. AJ Products, a Swedish office furniture company that has sponsored the men’s World Championship since 1989, said it would withdraw its sponsorship because of Russia’s participation.
Nokian Tyres said it would end its sponsorship of the 2027 World Championships if Russia were permitted to compete.
Turku said it would withdraw from hosting the junior ice hockey world championships in 2027-2028 if Russia were allowed to take part. Host cities and sponsors have also threatened boycotts of the 2027 World Championship and the 2028 World Junior Championship in Finland.
Germany is considering withdrawing as host after the refusals by European federations. Frank H Lutz, chair of the German federation, said the court ruling “fundamentally changes the situation” and that Russian participation “would have serious consequences for us as the host country in terms of security, as well as politically and economically.”
The uncertainty also surrounds Ukraine, which is set to play in the top division for the first time in 20 years. Serhiy Mazur, president of the Ukrainian Ice Hockey Federation, said Russia’s return could affect Ukraine’s participation in the 2027 championship.
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