Russia and US ice hockey teams to play a friendly match in Moscow on July 1

Ice hockey teams from Russia and the United States will face off in a friendly match at the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow on July 1. The match, supported by the chambers of commerce of both countries, is being organized within the framework of cultural dialogue and will be open to a limited number of spectators.

Scraper SystemJune 25, 2026, 02:46 PM

Russia and US ice hockey teams to play a friendly match in Moscow on July 1

Preparations for a rare friendly encounter on the ice hockey rink between Russia and the United States have been completed. Representational teams from the two countries will face each other in a special match in Moscow on July 1.

According to reports in the Russian press, the details of the match were finalized during a session titled "Russia - USA: Dialogue of Cultures" at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Robert Agee, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, shared information about the organization of the match in his speech at the forum.

Match venue and time

The match will start at 16:00 Moscow time. The venue chosen to host the competition is the Kristal Ice Palace within the Luzhniki Olympic Complex. Organizers announced that spectator attendance at the match will be limited and no tickets will be sold.

Russia's roster and stars

The "Red Machine" team representing Russia will be captained by the legendary defender Vyacheslav Fetisov, a two-time Olympic champion and three-time Stanley Cup winner. The team's head coach will be Aleksandr Yakushev, who has two Olympic gold medals.

The squad is expected to include Russian stars who play in the National Hockey League (NHL). Forwards Artemy Panarin and Kirill Marchenko, goaltender Igor Shesterkin, defenseman Alexander Romanov, as well as Stanley Cup winners Mikhail Sergachev and Alexander Nikishin are reported to be among the names who will take the ice in the match.

Olympic champion Andrey Kovalenko, a veteran figure in Russian hockey, is also planned to participate in the match. It was also stated that Spartak football club's general director Sergey Nekrasov and head coach of the Russia-25 team Roman Rotenberg will also be on the ice.

Sports diplomacy between the two countries

This friendly match, realized with the support of the chambers of commerce of Russia and the United States, stands out as one of the sporting events organized within the scope of dialogue between representatives of the two countries. The event is seen as a symbolic step emphasizing the unifying role of sports in the current geopolitical atmosphere.

Russia and US ice hockey teams to play a friendly match in Moscow on July 1