The international federation prohibits Belarus from participating in the World Cup

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has agreed that Belarus will not participate in the senior World Cup in May next year, nor in the junior World Cup that will begin at the end of December in Canada, both in the men's category.

The IIHF Council announced this Saturday in a statement its decision on the Belarusian men's teams under the principles it established at its 2022 congress following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia with the support of Belarus.

The decision of the executive body follows the ruling of the IIHF Disciplinary Board, which partially confirmed the appeal of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Association against the decisions of the Council of July 27, 2026.

The disciplinary body confirmed that "it had no legal basis to order immediate reintegration." The Council claims to have taken into account the organization and sporting agreements in force for both championships, as well as "competition structures, calendars, ticket sales and operational planning." The absolute men's World Cup will be held in Germany from May 14 to 30 and the junior World Cup will be held in Canada from December 26 to January 5.

In the same statement, the IIHF once again ruled on the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on October 30 in which it ruled in favor of Russia to be able to participate in the different World Cups scheduled for 2027 in the men's and women's categories.

Given the refusal of Finland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Latvia to play in the absolute World Cup if Russia does, the international federation assures that "it is exploring all available avenues." This includes the start of talks with all affected national federations, including the Russian one, to seek "a constructive solution that benefits world ice hockey."

After reiterating its disagreement with the CAS, the IIHF assures that it is taking "the necessary measures" required by the arbitration body's resolution and "reviewing the conditions that must be met to safeguard our championships, protect the financial stability of the organization and ensure the long-term future of international ice hockey."

"The IIHF must work within the applicable framework, fulfilling its responsibility to preserve international competition and protect the sport as a whole," the governing body adds.