CAS ruling forces IIHF to reinstate Russia to 2027 World Juniors, bumping Norway

Russia has been reinstated to the 2027 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship roster after a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling on 30 October ordered the International Ice Hockey Federation to lift its blanket suspension on Russian national teams — a ban originally imposed in February 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The reinstatement comes at Norway's expense. Under updated tournament seeding for the 2027 event in Canada, Russia was integrated as the 10th-ranked squad, triggering the demotion of Norway — holder of the lowest seeding in the top division — to Division IA.

The IIHF stated on Saturday that it "continues to disagree" with the CAS verdict but confirmed it must comply with the binding legal ruling while consulting member associations, including the Russian Ice Hockey Federation.

Norwegian Ice Hockey Association General Secretary Petter Salsten firmly opposed the decision. According to Salsten, "the Canadian authorities have made it clear that Russian hockey players will not receive visas" to participate in the World Junior Championship. He added that several participating nations have stated they will not take part in the tournament or will not play against Russia if they meet them, which he said gives Norway hope that its final decision regarding participation in the championship in Canada in December has not yet been made.

Salsten said Norway expects further formal clarifications from the IIHF within days.

In a separate ruling, the IIHF Council decided to uphold its suspension of Belarusian men's and U20 national teams from the 2027 World Championships, citing organisational, ticketing and scheduling constraints after the IIHF Disciplinary Board found no legal grounds compelling their immediate reinstatement.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the CAS determination, stating that "by allowing Russian hockey to return, CAS stains the ice with Ukrainian blood" and calling on democratic nations to enact national visa bans.

Russia's return also creates complications for the 2027 IIHF Men's World Championship in Germany, where Ukraine's national team has qualified to compete.