The fate of Russia for the 2028 World Cup will lie in the hands of the IIHF.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday the league would “follow what the international community” is doing regarding Russia and Belarus’ participation in the tournament, which is run by the league.
To that end, IIHF president Luc Tardif said he wants Russia and Belarus back in action “as soon as possible … because that means the world will be better.”
Russia has been formally banned from competition by the IIHF, hockey’s international body, since 2022 in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
A team of Russians earned silver at the 2022 Beijing Olympics under the Russian Olympic Committee banner due to sanctions from a 2014 doping scandal.
Russia was not included in the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off last February, the first best-on-best international men’s hockey competition since 2014, which was the last time NHLers competed at the Olympics.
No Russian teams were allowed to compete at the Milano-Cortina Olympics, though some Russians are competing in individual sports as neutral athletes.
