2028 World Cup of Hockey

Background and Announcement

The 2028 World Cup of Hockey was officially announced by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on February 2, 2024, during a press conference ahead of the NHL All-Star Game. The announcement confirmed an agreement between the NHL and the NHL Players' Association to reinstate NHL player participation in international events, ending an eight-year hiatus. This agreement also covered NHL player releases for the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Winter Games. To promote the return of top players to the international stage, the league organized the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February 2025, featuring Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. The 2028 World Cup will be the 16th best-on-best tournament to include NHL players. Canada enters as the defending champion from the last World Cup in 2016, while the United States holds the title of most recent best-on-best champion following their gold medal win at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The key milestones leading to the 2028 event include the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, which was the last international tournament with full NHL rosters until 2025. On February 2, 2024, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced an agreement to bring back the World Cup of Hockey in 2028. This followed an 8-year hiatus on NHL participation in international competitions. To promote the return of NHL players, the league organized the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025. The 2028 World Cup of Hockey will be the 16th best-on-best international tournament to include NHL players.

• February 2, 2024: NHL announces agreement for player participation in Olympics and World Cup.
• February 2025: 4 Nations Face-Off tournament is held.
• March 16, 2026: Host cities of Calgary, Edmonton, and Prague are announced.
• March 18, 2026: NHL deputy commissioner comments on Russia's unlikely participation.

Host City Selection and Venues

The NHL initially planned to host the tournament at one venue in North America and one in Europe. A selection process narrowed a list of 16 potential host cities down to the final three, with 10 cities bidding in North America and 6 in Europe. On March 16, 2026, the league announced that Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, and Prague in Czechia would serve as the host cities. This marks the first time since 1987 that Alberta has hosted a Canada Cup or World Cup of Hockey event, and the first time since 2004 that World Cup games have been played in Prague. The tournament schedule allocates six round-robin games and one knockout stage game to both Calgary's Scotia Place and Prague's O2 Arena. The two semifinal matches and the championship final will all be held at Rogers Place in Edmonton, which will host a total of three games during the knockout stage.

The specific venues and their roles are Scotia Place in Calgary and O2 Arena in Prague. Each of these venues will host a round robin group and one knockout stage game. The semifinals and the final will be hosted in Rogers Place in Edmonton. Calgary and Prague will each host six round-robin games and one elimination game. The two semifinal games and the championship game will be held in Edmonton.

• Scotia Place, Calgary: Hosts a round-robin group and one knockout game.
• O2 Arena, Prague: Hosts a round-robin group and one knockout game.
• Rogers Place, Edmonton: Hosts both semifinal games and the championship final.

Participating Teams and Qualification

The tournament will feature eight national teams, a return to a format comprising only individual countries, unlike the 2016 event which included composite Team Europe and Team North America squads. While the full participant list had not been finalized as of March 2026, Canada and Czechia were essentially confirmed as participants by virtue of being host nations. Finland, Sweden, and the United States were also strongly presumed participants due to their involvement in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. The NHL announced that they were negotiating with the IIHF to ensure that players from outside the NHL can be made available for the tournament, as the non-Big Six teams may otherwise struggle to produce a full roster of NHL players. The status of Russia's participation remains a significant question, as the country remains under an IIHF suspension due to the Russo-Ukrainian war. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly stated on March 18, 2026, that Russia was unlikely to be included if the conflict was still ongoing in 2028. The league is also concerned that Russian participation would potentially jeopardize the entire event, as the hockey federations of Czechia, Finland, and Sweden allegedly informed the NHL that they would boycott the tournament if Russia was included.

Nations with a strong likelihood of participation based on official notes include Canada and Czechia, which were essentially confirmed as participants when announced as host countries on March 16, 2026. It is presumed that Finland, Sweden, and the United States will also participate due to their involvement with the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in 2025. Russia's participation remains uncertain due to an IIHF suspension related to the Russo-Ukrainian war. The NHL announced it was negotiating with the IIHF to ensure players from outside the NHL could be available for non-Big Six teams.

• Canada (host nation and 2016 champion)
• Czechia (host nation)
• United States (2026 Olympic champion)
• Finland (4 Nations Face-Off participant)
• Sweden (4 Nations Face-Off participant)

Tournament Format and Schedule

The 2028 World Cup of Hockey will consist of 17 total games played over the course of February. The eight teams will be divided into two round-robin groups of four teams each, with one group designated as the North American pool and the other as the European pool. The North American pool will play all its round-robin games at Scotia Place in Calgary, while the European pool will play its round-robin games at the O2 Arena in Prague. Following the group stage, the tournament will progress to a knockout phase beginning with quarterfinal matches. Each of the two initial host venues will also host one knockout stage game, which will be a quarterfinal. The tournament will then move exclusively to Edmonton's Rogers Place for the two semifinal games and the championship final. This structure ensures significant hockey activity in all three host cities while culminating the event in a single venue for its decisive stages.

Broadcasting and Media Rights

In March 2026, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stated that they will open the bidding for the broadcasting rights instead of automatically awarding them to the league's current media partners in Canada, Europe, and the United States. This represents a shift in strategy for a major NHL event and suggests the league views the World Cup's return as a major broadcast property with significant standalone value. The process will allow various networks and streaming services to bid for domestic and international rights to televise the 17-game tournament. This approach could potentially expand the tournament's reach and generate substantial revenue for the league and the participating players' association, which is a key part of the 2024 agreement that brought the event back.

Historical Context and Significance

The 2028 event continues the lineage of the World Cup of Hockey and its predecessor, the Canada Cup, as premier best-on-best international hockey tournaments. The 12-year gap since the 2016 World Cup is the longest in the history of these events, highlighting the importance of the 2024 agreement between the league and players. The tournament is also significant for being the first best-on-best event hosted across multiple continents, with games in North America and Europe. For Canada, hosting a large portion of the tournament in Alberta is a point of national pride, offering home-ice advantage in the quest to defend the World Cup title. The event's success is seen as crucial for the future of international hockey, with another World Cup already planned for 2032 as part of the multi-event agreement.

Key historical markers for host regions include this being the first time since 1987 that Alberta hosted Canada Cup or World Cup of Hockey games. It will also be the first time since 2004 that World Cup of Hockey games were played in Prague. The tournament will be played in three host cities: Calgary and Edmonton in Canada, and Prague in Czechia. The NHL had initially announced the tournament would be played at one venue in North America and another in Europe before confirming the specific cities.

• 1987: Last time Alberta hosted a Canada Cup/World Cup event.
• 2004: Last time World Cup games were played in Prague.
• 2016: Last World Cup of Hockey tournament.
• 2026: Most recent best-on-best championship (Winter Olympics).

Questions about 2028 World Cup of Hockey

When and where is the 2028 World Cup of Hockey?

The 2028 World Cup of Hockey will be played in February 2028. The games will be held in three host cities: Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, and Prague in Czechia. The round-robin groups will be split between Calgary's Scotia Place and Prague's O2 Arena, while the semifinals and final will be hosted at Rogers Place in Edmonton. In total, 17 games are scheduled across these three venues.

Which teams are playing in the 2028 World Cup of Hockey?

The full list of eight participating national teams had not been officially finalized as of March 2026. However, Canada and Czechia are confirmed as participants as the host nations. Finland, Sweden, and the United States are also strongly expected to participate due to their involvement in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. The NHL is negotiating to allow non-NHL players to join rosters to help other nations field competitive teams. Russia's participation remains uncertain due to its IIHF suspension related to the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Why is this World Cup happening after such a long break?

The last World Cup of Hockey was in 2016. An eight-year hiatus on NHL player participation in international events followed. On February 2, 2024, the NHL and NHL Players' Association reached an agreement to allow players to return to best-on-best competition, including the Olympics in 2026 and 2030 and the World Cup in 2028 and 2032. The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off served as a precursor to promote this return and featured Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States.

What is the format for the 2028 World Cup?

The format involves eight national teams divided into two round-robin groups of four. One group plays in Calgary, the other in Prague. After the group stage, the tournament moves to a knockout phase. Calgary and Prague will each host one knockout game, while Edmonton will host both semifinals and the championship final. In total, 17 games will be played throughout February 2028 across the three venues.

Is Russia allowed to play in the 2028 World Cup of Hockey?

As of March 2026, Russia's participation is highly uncertain. The country remains suspended by the IIHF due to the Russo-Ukrainian war. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly stated Russia was unlikely to be included if the war was still ongoing in 2028. The hockey federations of Czechia, Finland, and Sweden have reportedly threatened to boycott the tournament if Russia is invited, which the NHL fears could jeopardize the entire event.

Will the tournament be on TV in Canada?

Yes, the tournament will be broadcast in Canada. In March 2026, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stated the league would open competitive bidding for the broadcasting rights. This means the league will not automatically award the rights to its current media partners in Canada. Instead, various networks and services will have the opportunity to bid for the rights to air the 17 game tournament. The specific Canadian broadcaster had not been selected as of that announcement. This approach could result in a different broadcast arrangement compared to previous NHL events.

Sources and further reading

• 2028 World Cup of Hockey (Wikipedia)
• The World Cup of Hockey is Coming to Calgary in 2028 (visitcalgary.com)
• World Cup of Hockey 2028 headed to Europe and North ... (nhlpa.com)

Checked by the Garbutt Disposal desk. Last updated 2026-10-20.