With the US men’s soccer team on to the knockout stage and the United States playing host, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has dominated headlines in recent weeks. As the public’s focus has remained on the pitch, a much smaller yet geopolitically significant upcoming international sporting event has slid under the radar.
Next Wednesday in Moscow, hockey players from the US and Russia will represent their countries in a friendly exhibition match at the Luzhniki Olympic Complex.
The match was announced on June 4 by American Chamber of Commerce in Russia (AmCham) President Robert Agee at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). Agee said the match aims to stoke “cultural dialogue” between Russia and the US, with the hope of eventually improving business relations between the two. It will also serve “in part” as a celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
“We hope that this will help melt the ice that has now formed between us,” Agee said. While the match won’t be a “best-on-best,” or even a fully professional one, he said it will include both professional and amateur players from each nation.
The only two major mainstream sources AllSides found to cover the story when it broke on June 4 were The Moscow Times (Center) and Russian state media agency TASS (Not Rated). Notably, ZeroHedge (Lean Right), Daily Express (Lean Right), and the Washington Capitals news site Russian Machine Never Breaks also covered the story.
Initial reporting on the event has left several details blurry, and since June 4, there has not been any additional media coverage.
The Origin of the Idea
In March 2025, two months after President Donald Trump took office, he and Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly discussed the prospect of a hockey series involving players from America’s National Hockey League (NHL) and Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) – the top two leagues in the world. Reportedly, the series would involve games in both countries and was initially President Putin’s idea.
At the time, Associated Press (Left) reported a statement from the NHL on the prospect, which said, “We have just become aware of the conversation between President Trump and President Putin. Obviously, we were not a party to those discussions, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.”
When speaking to reporters on June 4 at SPIEF, Agee said members of the US Embassy had been invited to the match and that he didn’t think President Trump knew about the match at that point.
Who Will Compete For Each Nation?
Immediately following the comments about Trump, a reporter asked if Russian great Alexander Ovechkin would “join” for the match, and Agee said, “I think he’s been invited. If he’s going to be in Moscow… I know we’re working with all the key people in Moscow to put the match together, so hopefully it will be a good one.”
Despite Agee’s vague reply, Moscow Times wrote in its report that Ovechkin "will be involved in the event” and linked to a Telegram post from the “@youlistenedmayak” channel as its source. The channel posted the confirmation that Ovechkin would be “in attendance” 45 minutes before sharing the clip where Agee was asked about Ovechkin by reporters.
The Moscow Times’ potentially misreported detail made its way into ZeroHedge’s coverage, which quoted the paper directly.
TASS quickly followed up on June 4 and asked Ovechkin’s agent, Gleb Chistyakov, whether Ovechkin would be playing in the match.
“Definitely not,” Chistyakov said, without providing further comments.
TASS also noted in its coverage that a day prior to the match’s announcement, on June 3, Russian parliament member Svetlana Zhurova said the teams would consist of members of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the US Chamber of Commerce.
The mixed messaging and reporting around what each team’s roster may look like prompted a misinformed headline from The Daily Express.
On June 4, the tabloid published the headline, “Team USA announces controversial Russia plans after Trump-Putin talks.”
When asked if it was involved with the match or knew of potential rosters, USA Hockey told AllSides, “We have seen reports, but are not involved.”
From Agee and Zhurova’s comments, it is clear that the rosters iced by both nations will not be official state-sanctioned teams and therefore should not be considered “Team USA” or “Team Russia.”
On June 11, SPIEF wrote on its site that former NHLer and State Duma deputy Vyacheslav Fetisov will be Russia’s captain and two-time Soviet gold medalist Alexander Yakushev will be the head coach. Additionally, legendary Soviet goalie and current Russian Ice Hockey Federation President Vladislav Tretiak will reportedly drop the ceremonial first puck.
SPIEF added that the teams iced on July 1 “are expected to inspire a series of matches between youth teams, for whom the exchange of experience is especially important.”
As of June 26, no rosters have been announced.
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The US-Russia Puck Rivalry
The US-Russia rivalry in ice hockey is largely considered one of the greatest in sports.
Earlier this year at the Winter Olympics in Milan, the United States men’s team won its third-ever gold medal. The gold was America’s first in 46 years, since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid, where the Americans famously defeated the Soviet Union’s Red Army team at the height of the Cold War. Notably absent in Milan, however, were the Russians, who in some form (USSR, CIS, OAR) have won nine Olympic hockey golds, tying Canada for the most all-time.
While Russian players have continued to flourish at the highest level in the NHL, since February 28, 2022, the country has been banned from International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) competitions, including the Winter Olympics. On May 29 – just days before Agee announced the July 1 match – the IIHF softened its stance and said Russia’s eligibility for upcoming competitions would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
A best-on-best match between the two countries hasn’t taken place since the 2016 World Cup (the NHL barred contracted players from competing in the 2018 and 2022 Olympics) in Toronto, but a few official matches between the two nations have.
At the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, OAR (Olympic Athletes from Russia – a moniker used for the country as the Russian Olympic Committee faced a ban for doping) defeated the United States 4-0.
A year later, at the IIHF World Championships in Slovakia, the Russians beat the US 4-3 in the quarterfinals.
Though Russian and American players have continued to compete with and against each other in professional leagues all over the world – including the NHL and KHL – the upcoming July 1 match will seemingly mark the first time two teams based on nationality will compete against each other since the 2022 ban.
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AllSides Analysis on the Upcoming Match
While the upcoming friendly match between players from the two countries won’t be a serious sporting event, it has the potential to be something bigger – a jumping-off point for thawing relations between Russia and the US as the US-backed conflict in Ukraine continues on.
Though it’s received little media attention so far, depending on the professional players involved in the competition, the series could become a bigger spectacle, especially since the idea was already on the radars of both heads of state.
Onlookers will have to wait and see what the rosters, audience, and media coverage look like on Wednesday to realize the full potential and significance of the match. But since June 4, it’s flown mostly under the radar, with no mainstream American outlets showing the slightest bit of interest in the initiative.
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Andy Gorel is the Managing Editor of AllSides. He has a Center bias.
This piece was reviewed by Malayna Bizier, News Analyst and Social Media Editor (Right), and Emily Allen, Education Experience Manager & News Editor (Left).
