IIHF confirms Russia out of 2027 World Juniors, Canada to remain host
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The Russian national under-20 ice hockey team will not participate in the 2027 World Junior Championship in Canada, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) confirmed on Nov. 15, following weeks of controversy over Russia's potential return to international competition.
"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 federation said.
The IIHF also confirmed that Canada will remain the tournament's host, with games scheduled for Dec. 26, 2026, through Jan. 5, 2027, in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.
The decision follows an Oct. 30 ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ordered the IIHF to allow Russian teams to return to five international championships, including the World Juniors.
The ruling sparked opposition from several national hockey federations, with countries including Finland, Sweden, Czechia, and Norway saying they would refuse to compete against Russia.
Russia subsequently demanded that the IIHF either allow its team to participate or move the championship out of Canada, according to Russian media reports.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney previously said Russian players would not be allowed to participate in the tournament. Canadian authorities also made clear that Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials representing their countries would be barred from entering Canada to compete.
The dispute also affected Norway, whose hockey federation said on Nov. 8 that it had been informed its team would be relegated to a lower division to make room for Russia. The IIHF has yet to clarify whether Norway will retain its place following the latest decision.
The IIHF said an updated competition schedule would be published shortly.
