Whether Russia and its collection of NHL stars will be invited to the 2028 World Cup of Hockey remains very uncertain.

“We’re going to see how things develop. Time will tell,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Monday at the GM meetings in Florida. “There isn’t an immediate need or urgency to make that decision, so let’s see how things play out.”

The World Cup of Hockey, a joint venture between the NHL and the NHLPA, will next take place in February 2028 with eight teams playing in three cities — Calgary, Edmonton and Prague.

Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has been banned from international play in all age categories by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The IIHF has cited security concerns as the primary factor.

Russia’s participation in the World Cup of Hockey has been the source of fierce debate, with some arguing a true “best-on-best” tournament must feature the Russians.

Entering Monday’s games, three of the NHL’s top 20 scorers were Russian-born: Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov and Los Angeles Kings winger Artemi Panarin. Russia might also have the world’s best goaltending trio in Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers.

That said, concern over how to integrate Russian players into an NHL-led international event and opposition from countries such as Finland were major reasons the planned 2024 World Cup of Hockey was scrapped in favor of the 4 Nations Face-Off, a four-team tournament held in February 2025 that provided huge returns for the NHL thanks to a pair of USA vs. Canada games.

The NHL isn’t obliged to recognize the IIHF ban for its international events, but Bettman has indicated that the league will follow “what the international community is doing in terms of athletics” in determining Russia’s status.

“I don’t see any need for us to weigh in separately,” Bettman said at a news conference during the Olympics.

IIHF president Luc Tardif has indicated that his organization would take its lead from the International Olympic Committee. Neither Russia nor Belarus had a team in the recently completed Winter Olympic hockey tournaments in Milan.

Last December, the IOC advised international governing sports bodies to let Russian and Belarus youth teams and athletes compete with their full identity of national flag and anthem — a move many felt was the first step toward reintegration of the nations into international tournament play.

The IIHF has considered welcoming back Russia and Belarus into under-18 competition in the 2027-28 season, with Tardif calling it “a first step.”

Marty Walsh, executive director of the NHLPA, said last year that he’d love to see the league’s Russian players participating in best-on-best tournaments again.

“They’re incredible hockey players. The issues are political. Not political as far as the NHLPA; it’s world politics we have to get through,” Walsh said. “I’m hoping that as we get closer to the World Cup, we will start seeing Russian athletes back in the competition.”

This will be the fourth edition of the World Cup of Hockey, having been previously held in 1996, 2004 and 2016, most recently won by Team Canada. The World Cup’s return is part of an aggressive expansion of the NHL’s international calendar. Bettman has said the vision is to alternate between the NHL’s participation in the Olympic men’s hockey tournament and a World Cup every two years.

The 2028 World Cup of Hockey will have eight teams, with two pools of four teams each and the top three advancing.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the intensity of competition at the World Cup could be greater than that of the Olympics.

“What you saw in the Olympics is an indication of what you’ll see in the World Cup of Hockey,” Daly said. “It’s the top teams in the world. [But] here are only eight of them, not 12 of them, so obviously the hockey got better as the Olympics progressed. We’re going to be in a situation where the hockey is really good right away.”

Neymar‘s hopes of playing at the World Cup are fading with the Santos forward once again left out of Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for the upcoming friendlies in the United States.

Brazil’s matches against France and Croatia on March 26 in Boston and March 31 in Orlando, respectively, will be the last encounters before Ancelotti names his final World Cup roster on May 18.

After the squad was revealed on Monday, Neymar told media at an event in Sao Paulo he was “upset and sad” for not being picked by Ancelotti for the two friendlies.

“But my focus remains, day after day, training after training, match after match. We will reach our goal, there’s still the final squad,” Neymar said.

Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, has not played for the national team since October 2023, when he tore the ACL and meniscus in his left knee. The former Barcelona star reiterated on Sunday his desire to compete for Brazil at the World Cup after playing 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Corinthians, a game which had two of Ancelotti’s assistants in attendance.

Neymar, 34, did not stand out after sitting out in the previous match in midweek that had Ancelotti in the stands.

“Neymar is not at 100 percent and therefore he is not on the list,” Ancelotti said on Monday. “Neymar is not at 100 percent of his capability. If he can be at 100 percent physically, he can be there. Neymar could be at the World Cup. Neymar has to keep working, playing, showcasing his qualities and maintaining good physical condition.”

Endrick, who has scored six goals in 12 appearances since joining Lyon from Real Madrid in the winter transfer window, has been named by Ancelotti for the first time since the coach took over in June.

Brentford‘s Igor Thiago has earned his first call up and is part of Brazil’s 26-man squad.

Barcelona forward Raphinha and Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior lead Brazil’s attack with Chelsea‘s João Pedro and Matheus Cunha also included. Midfielder Lucas Paquetá, who joined Flamengo from West Ham United in January, has been left out but veteran Manchester United midfielder Casemiro is in the roster.

“We are preparing well for this World Cup. We want to arrive in the best possible condition technically, physically and mentally,” Ancelotti said. “There are players who deserve to be here because they are doing well in their respective leagues, as is the case of Endrick, Rayan, Danilo.”

Ancelotti also talked Monday about extending his stay as manager of Brazil through the 2030 World Cup, saying the Brazil federation is set to give him a new contract to stay on after this summer.

“When a couple wants to carry on I think there’s no problem,” Ancelotti said. “Either before or after the next World Cup we will make this extension official.”

Brazil begin their World Cup campaign against Morocco on June 13. The five-time world champions will also go up against Scotland and Haiti in Group C.

“[Extending] before the World Cup will be cheaper, afterwards it will be more expensive,” Ancelotti quipped. “I am very confident.”

Full Brazil squad:

Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Bento (Al Nassr), Éderson (Fenerbahce).

Defenders: Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Bremer (Juventus), Danilo (Flamengo), Douglas Santos (Zenit), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Ibañez (Al-Ahly), Léo Pereira (Flamengo), Marquinhos (PSG), Wesley (Roma).

Midfielders: Andrey Santos (Chelsea), Casemiro (Manchester United), Danilo (Botafogo), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), Gabriel Sara (Galatasaray).

Forwards: Endrick (Lyon), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Igor Thiago (Brentford), Luiz Henrique (Zenit), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rayan (Bournemouth), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid), João Pedro (Chelsea).

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Leny Yoro has said the Manchester United squad were keen for Casemiro to stay at Old Trafford before the midfielder announced his intention to leave at the end of the season.

United fans chanted “one more year” at the Brazilian after he scored in the 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.

Sources have told ESPN that there is unlikely to be a U-turn, but Yoro has revealed the players wanted the club to keep the 34-year-old.

“Everyone wanted him to stay, he’s a player [who is] really important for us,” Yoro said.

“Even in the dressing room, every day, he has the experience that no one else has in the team.

“He won everything, so this helped us a lot in the games and even outside the pitch.”

United still have the option to trigger a one-year extension in Casemiro’s contract, although it was agreed mutually with the club in January that he should leave in the summer.

And despite being a key part of the revival under Michael Carrick, the United head coach hinted that the decision will not be reversed.

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“I think it’s when something’s decided and in some ways the fact that it was decided makes things a little bit easier and everyone understands the situation really,” Carrick said.

“I think the impact he’s had has been terrific, certainly since I’ve been here and working with him and his influence within the team and big moments and goals.”