Russia, which has been excluded from international ice hockey for years, may return sooner than expected.

The Russian Ice Hockey Federation announced on Thursday in its statement that the International Ice Hockey Federation’s IIHF disciplinary committee has overturned its decision made in January to exclude Russia and Belarus from its tournaments, including the 2026–27 season.

The decision was reconsidered due to a complaint made by Russia. The decision was annulled because the IIHF did not have sufficient grounds to keep Russia and Belarus out of next season’s tournaments.

However, the recent decision does not guarantee that Russia and Belarus will play in IIHF-sanctioned tournaments next season.

The matter is still being discussed in the IIHF board. Other countries’ ice hockey federations will also certainly express their stance on the issue.

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