Barkov sustained an injury to his knee ligaments in training with his club team, the Florida Panthers, back in September and was expected to be out for between seven and nine months.
Following a return to light training in January, the 30-year-old forward has declared himself fit to play at the tournament, which runs from 15th-30th May.
The Tampere native is set to end a decade in the international wilderness, having featured at the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2016 World Championship, he last pulled on a Leijonat jersey at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
"Representing Finland has always been an honour for me. It's great to be able to play and travel with Leijonat," Barkov announced.
Despite his lack of match sharpness, there were no ill-feeling from the Panthers organisation regarding his participation: "If a hockey player wants to play hockey, that's a good thing," said the team's general manager, Bill Zito.
At the 2026 World Championship, Finland will play their Group A games in Zurich, and set to join Barkov will be his compatriot and fellow Panthers forward, Anton Lundell. Head coach Antti Pennanen was certainly pleased to have both players at his disposal.
"Barkov brings world-class leadership, experience and skills. As a valued player and well-liked person, he brings a lot of good to the team. It's great that he definitely wanted to come to the World Championship, despite his long injury lay-off," said the coach.
"He is an intelligent and versatile player, an excellent addition to our attack," Pennanen added, regarding Lundell.
The latest addition to the Lions' line-up is New York Rangers defenceman, Urho Vaakanainen.
The full squads are still to be announced. Finland begin their campaign against Germany on 15th May, before facing Hungary, United States, Latvia, Great Britain, Austria and Switzerland for a place in the quarter-finals.
Follow the 2026 Ice Hockey World Championship on Flashscore.