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The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has decided not to allow the Russian national team to participate in the 2026 World Championship to be held in Switzerland.
The suspension was approved during a meeting of the IIHF Council held in Switzerland from February 2 to 4. The Russian Ice Hockey Federation will be able to appeal this decision only after the 2025 World Cup. The IIHF also noted that it will consider the possibility of Russia’s return only if the war in Ukraine ends.
The participation of the Russian national team in the 2026 Olympics in Milan remains in question, with the final decision to be made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Russia and Belarus were suspended from international ice hockey competitions on February 28, 2022, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The head of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, Anders Larsson, supported the sanctions, saying that Russia and Belarus should not be allowed to participate in international tournaments.
