Final call made on Russia playing at World Juniors in Alberta
Russia’s fate at the upcoming World Juniors tournament in Alberta has been decided.
Earlier this month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that the IIHF must reinstate Russia into all upcoming international hockey events, starting with the 2027 World Juniors tournament. The ruling sent shockwaves through the international community, with multiple countries threatening to boycott games involving the Russian national team.
The IIHF objected to the ruling, but said it would respect the court’s authority. It was then revealed that the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation (NIHF), the lowest-seeded team at this year’s World Juniors, was told it would be bumped out of the tournament to make room for Russia.
The Canadian federal government also weighed in on the decision, with Prime Minister Mark Carney saying Russian athletes would not be allowed into the country to participate.
After all that backlash, the IIHF seems to have changed its tune, putting out a statement on Sunday saying that Russia would not be participating at the World Juniors this year. The governing body explicitly pointed out the federal government’s restrictions on Russian athletes.
“The IIHF confirms that due to the position and restrictions formally communicated by the Canadian government, the Russian U20 national team is unable to participate in the World Junior Championship,” the statement read.
The IIHF confirms that due to the position and restrictions formally communicated by the Canadian Government, the Russian U20 national team is unable to participate in the World Junior Championship.#IIHF pic.twitter.com/fo3Y6XJA0A
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) November 15, 2026
The statement added that Edmonton and Red Deer will remain as hosts for the tournament.
After the announcement, the NIHF also released a statement signalling that they have been reinstated into the World Juniors tournament now that Russia is confirmed to be out.
“After several weeks of uncertainty, the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation has today received confirmation from the IIHF that [Norway’s U20 team] will be able to participate in the World Championship in Canada as planned,” the translated NIHF statement read.
Russia was set to take Norway’s spot in Group B, which also includes Canada, Czechia, Switzerland, and Latvia. The Canadian national team is set to take on Norway in round-robin play on Dec. 29.
The decision was met with strong opposition from the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF), which also released a statement reacting to the news.
“The Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) expresses its strong protest against this unacceptable and unlawful decision,” a translated version of the RIHF statement read. “The IIHF’s decision was made solely due to political reasons, in violation of a binding and effective ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
“The RIHF will pursue all available legal avenues to ensure the enforcement of the CAS ruling, the restoration of the rights of Russian athletes and reparation for the harm caused.”
This will mark the sixth straight World Juniors tournament Russia will be barred from participating in. The country has been banned ever since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine back in 2022. The last World Juniors tournament to include a Russian team was in 2021, where the team finished fourth.