Overview
- The IIHF, which announced the 2027 group draw on Monday, did not list Russia in either of the two eight-team pools for the May tournament in Germany.
- The Russian Hockey Federation succeeded with an appeal that annulled a season-long exclusion last month but the IIHF said that ruling does not mean automatic reinstatement to events.
- The federation has set an event-by-event test that requires host and operational plans to satisfy safety and security reviews before any Russian teams can play.
- Ukraine qualified back to the top level and was drawn into Germany’s group, while host Germany shares that pool with Sweden and defending champion Finland.
- Russia’s practical return remains uncertain because some national federations and host authorities have signalled they will not face Russian or Belarusian teams and the IIHF has not explained how the policy was applied to the 2027 draw.