IIHF reviews – The IIHF has overturned its plan to keep Russian national and club teams out of all 2026-27 events, opting instead to decide Russia’s eligibility on an event-by-event basis after a disciplinary board appeal.
Friday’s IIHF announcement landed like a change in weather for hockey’s governing landscape: Russia won’t be barred across the board for 2026-27 anymore. Instead, the international federation says it will determine the nation’s eligibility for future IIHF events on an event-by-event basis.
The shift comes after the IIHF reversed an earlier decision that had kept Russian national and club teams out of all 2026-27 events. The federation had said that the blanket ban would remain in place because of safety and security concerns.
Russia has been banned from IIHF competition since 2022, imposed in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. That long-running exclusion had already framed how leagues, tournaments and national programs were planning their seasons.
In January, the IIHF announced that, after further analyzing the situation regarding Russia’s reintegration, the country would remain banned for the 2026-27 season. It was explicitly tied to safety and security concerns.
But the decision didn’t hold.
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation appealed to the IIHF disciplinary board. The board then annulled the January decision—effectively saying the previous ruling couldn’t stand in its existing form. The IIHF explained in its release that: “The Disciplinary Board determined that the previous decision could not be maintained in its current form. and as such has sent the matter back to the IIHF Council to re-analyze based on safety. security. operational. and sporting plans.”.
That return to the start of the debate didn’t happen in a vacuum. The conversation restarted in January after the International Olympic Committee recommended that governing bodies allow countries’ teams and athletes to compete in international youth events with their full identity of national flag and anthem.
That broader Olympic push didn’t end there. Earlier in May, the IOC urged sports governing bodies to allow Belarusian athletes to compete as non-neutrals.
For hockey’s professional ecosystem, the stakes extend beyond IIHF-branded tournaments. In February, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league would “follow what the international community” is doing regarding Russia’s participation in the 2028 World Cup, an event run by the NHL.
Between the IIHF Council’s reanalysis and the shifting signals across sport’s biggest institutions, the question for hockey now is no longer whether Russia is fully out of the picture—but how each event will be judged, and what standards will be applied each time the eligibility door is tested.
IIHF Russia ban 2026-27 eligibility Russian Ice Hockey Federation disciplinary board Ukraine invasion Gary Bettman NHL 2028 World Cup International Olympic Committee
So they’re letting Russia in again? Kinda wild after all this.
I’m confused… it says overturned the ban but then says event-by-event. So basically it’s still banned unless someone approves it each time? Sounds like a loophole.
Wait does this mean the NHL will play Russians too in 2028 or is it just IIHF events? Bettman said follow international community so I’m guessing it’ll trickle down. Also who even decides “safety” like are they gonna check passports at the rink.
This whole thing feels like politics disguised as hockey rules. First they ban them for Ukraine, then a board appeal, then IOC is like “use your flag” for youth events… next thing you know it’s non-neutral for hockey too? I don’t know, I just want clean sports without turning it into a whole global debate.