IIHF Draws Up New Schedule for 2027 World Junior Championship With Russia Included

In brief

• The IIHF has reportedly sent participants a revised 2027 world junior championship schedule that puts Russia in Group B in place of Norway.
• The plan lists Russia against Switzerland on December 27, and Switzerland's federation says its team will not play that game but will stay in the tournament.
• The change follows an October 30 Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling, but the schedule details come mainly from Russian sources, one of them classed as propaganda media, and are not confirmed by an official IIHF document.

Revised schedule puts Russia in place of Norway

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has reportedly circulated an adjusted schedule for the 2027 world junior championship that places the Russian national team in Group B. Russia would take the position originally held by Norway, which under the revised plan would move down to Division I, Group A (Скандальное решение IIHF. Россию включили в число участников молодежного чемпионата мира вместо Норвегии – NV) (ИИХФ составила новое расписание молодежного ЧМ с участием России – sport-express.net) (ИИХФ составила новое расписание МЧМ-2027 с участием России – allhockey.ru).

Group composition and seeding

According to the proposed version, Russia would be seeded tenth. Group B would also feature Canada, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Switzerland. The earlier draft had listed Norway in that slot.

Opening match against Switzerland

The revised plan lists Russia against Switzerland on December 27. According to the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation, its team will not take the ice for that game but will remain in the tournament.

Background: CAS ruling

The change follows an October 30 decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which directed the IIHF to admit Russian teams to competitions under its auspices, including the 2027 world junior championship. The federation said afterward that it would work through the practical questions of returning Russian national teams, and on November 7 it confirmed that this work was continuing.

What is not yet confirmed

The schedule details come mainly from Sport-Express and from allhockey.ru, which is a propaganda outlet. The allhockey.ru report repeats the same basic claims without adding independent confirmation. The material available does not include an official IIHF publication of the revised schedule, and it does not independently confirm the full group composition or dates. Until the IIHF publishes the document itself, the specific group and date details should be treated as reported rather than officially confirmed.