Russian national hockey team not allowed to qualify for the 2026 World Championship

The Executive Committee of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has decided not to admit the Russian national team to the 2026 World Championship. This was announced on February 4 by the press service of the Russian Hockey Federation (RHF) on its official website.

As follows from the publication, one of the arguments of the IIHF not to admit the team from Russia was the safety of the participants. However, FHR special representative for international affairs Pavel Bure considers this argument insufficiently substantiated.

"One of the arguments of the IIHF to not allow our team was the safety of the participants. In our opinion, this argument is not strong enough. More than 50 Russians play in the NHL (National Hockey League - Ed.). Russian swimmers, chess players, representatives of other sports participate in international competitions - and there are no incidents at them," said Bure.

It is reported that the FHL will challenge the IIHF verdict in court. At the same time, the final decision on the participation of the Russian national team at the 2026 Olympics in Milan will be made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Earlier, on January 31, IIHF board member Anders Larsson said that the Swedish National Team will not boycott the matches of the World Championship and the 2026 Olympic Games in case the Russian national hockey team returns to international tournaments.

On February 28, 2022, the IIHF decided to suspend the national teams of Russia and Belarus from participation in international competitions for an indefinite period of time.