The Canadian government has informed the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and Hockey Canada that it will not issue visas to Russian hockey players for the upcoming World Junior Championship. According to Canadian sports media outlet TSN, the ban will also apply to Russian players who already have Canadian visas, as well as to participation under a neutral flag.
The tournament is scheduled to take place from December 26, 2026, to January 5, 2027, in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. The decision by the Canadian authorities calls Russia’s participation into question just a few weeks before the competition begins.
On October 30, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the IIHF must admit Russian teams to its international championships with immediate effect. The international federation said it would comply with the ruling, but warned of practical consequences related to visas, security, travel and changes to the format of tournaments that had already been prepared.
The IIHF leadership said the court’s decision requires coordination with the organizers, national federations and authorities in the host countries. However, Norway still appears in Group B on the public list of participants for the tournament in Canada, while Russia is not listed among the teams. This leaves unresolved the question of whether and how the Russian team will be included in the final schedule.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on November 4 that Russian athletes would not receive visas for the World Junior Championship. The following day, Russian Sports Minister and President of the Russian Olympic Committee Mikhail Degtyarev said that Moscow had a plan in case the Canadian authorities refused.
“We will not disclose it. Everything will be fine for Russia, and it will be bad for Canada,” Degtyarev said, as quoted by rbc.ru. He did not specify what actions the contingency plan envisaged.
Russia has not participated in international hockey competitions since Russian teams were expelled in 2022. The last appearance of the Russian junior team in the tournament was in 2021, when the team reached the semifinals but lost the bronze-medal game. Following the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling and Canada’s refusal to issue visas, the final list of participants and the tournament format remain disputed.