Everyone is getting hyped for the return of “best-on-best” International Hockey with the Four Nations Faceoff featuring the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland. However, if we truly want a “best-on-best” International Hockey Tournament, then the hockey players from Russia need to be there. However, that will not happen for the 2025-26 season. The IIHF Council announced that Russia and Belarus will continue to be banned from all its championship competitions for the 2025-26 season.
The IIHF continues to the ban for Belarus and Russia for next seasons which means that Russia will not be at any IIHF events and the Olympics next season. #olympics #iihf @NHLrumorsX @nhl_tradetalk @FullPressNHL https://t.co/0VPOwobQpe
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) February 4, 2025
In a statement released Tuesday, the IIHF cited security concerns and conditions that were not met to reinstate Russia and Belarus in their competitions.
The IIHF Council believes it is not yet safe to reintegrate the Russian and Belarusian National and Club Teams to its championships for the 2025-2026 season. As the current security conditions do not allow the necessary requirements for the organization of tournaments guaranteeing the safety of all, the IIHF must maintain the current status quo until further notice. Russia and Belarus have been barred from International Competition ever since their governments decided to invade Ukraine. Whether you agree or disagree with the decision is totally up to you and your view on world politics. For the sporting world it is another season where the best International players from Russia will not compete on the Worlds stage.
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As per the IIHF’s continuing mandate, the organization will continue to monitor the situation with Russia and Ukraine closely. The next time the IIHF Council will rule on lifting the ban on Russia and incorporating them back into its events for the 2026-27 season will be in May 2026, at the IIHF Council meeting ahead of the IIHF Annual Congress. So, Russia will be banned from playing at the IIHF World Championships on the Men’s and Women’s sides for at least another season, similar to Belarus.
This decision will have mixed reactions, but the Swedish Hockey Federation supports it. Swedish Ice Hockey Federation statement on Russia/Belarus’ suspension: “We in Swedish ice hockey stand behind this decision, which is absolutely necessary in the current situation. It feels good to already know the conditions for the World Cup tournaments next season.”
While this decision did not prevent Russian athletes from participating in the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, there is serious doubt that they will. Remember, Sweden and Finland did not want Russia to participate in the Four Nations Tournament. With Sweden backing the IIHF Decision, expectations are Russia will be banned from the Olympics as well.
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide whether Russia will participate in the Olympics. However, the IIHF views the Olympics as a World Championship on its calendar when the Winter Olympics happen. So, unless something changes, Russia will continue to be banned from team competitions at the Olympics. The 2026 Olympic Winter Games will be the first time that NHL players will participate in the games since the 2014 Sochi Games.
The NHL did not participate in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympic Games. In 2014, Canada won back-to-back Gold Medals, and in 2018, the Olympic Athletes from Russia won the Gold. In different forms and with teams named the Soviet Union, Russia’s United Team won Olympic gold nine times.
Russia has also won 27 gold medals at the IIHF World Championships and 14 gold medals at the World Junior level. Russia’s last medal in Ice Hockey was a silver medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, just weeks before its invasion of Ukraine. Since then, Russia and Belarus have been banned from international ice hockey tournaments. That ban will continue next season and potentially beyond.