The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overturned the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) ban on Russia, allowing Russian national teams to return to IIHF competitions for the 2026‑27 season.
Russia had been suspended from IIHF events since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the IIHF had extended the exclusion earlier this year. The Russian Ice Hockey Federation appealed the decision, and CAS upheld the appeal after an in‑person hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Ukraine’s ice hockey federation expressed “deep outrage” at the ruling, stating that the security threats that prompted the original ban have not disappeared. While respecting CAS’s authority, the Ukrainian federation said the decision causes “special outrage.”
CAS said the IIHF’s arguments citing safety and security concerns were “not supported by sufficient evidence.” The ruling means Russia will be eligible for the men’s and women’s world championships in the upcoming season. Ukraine’s men’s team recently earned promotion to the top division for the first time in 20 years.
The IIHF expressed disappointment, maintaining that its decisions were necessary to protect participants and safeguard competition integrity. Germany, which will host the men’s world championship in May, rejected the return of Russian teams, citing security, political and economic consequences. The Czech, Finnish and British federations also condemned the decision, while the Russian federation welcomed it and pledged to work with the IIHF on the teams’ return.
