The long‑awaited return of the World Cup of Hockey is officially on the calendar for February 2028, marking the first edition of the international “best‑on‑best” tournament since 2016. The National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association confirmed plans for the event, which will feature top professional talent from around the world.
World Cup dates and format
The tournament is scheduled to take place throughout February 2028, featuring a 12‑day schedule that includes 17 games across group‑stage and elimination rounds.
Eight national teams will compete in a format that begins with round‑robin pool play, followed by semifinals and a championship game. Unlike the 2016 tournament, which included composite teams like Team North America and Team Europe, the 2028 edition will exclusively feature nation‑based teams representing individual countries.
Organizers have not publicly confirmed the full list of participants, but Canada, the United States, Sweden, Finland and Czechia are widely expected to compete given their recent involvement in international competitions featuring NHL players. The decision by the IIHF to suspend Russia through at least the 2025‑26 season puts that country’s participation in doubt, though final team entries will be announced closer to the event.
Host cities and venues
The NHL did announce the three host cities for the 2028 event:
- Calgary / Scotia Place will host part of the round‑robin group play and an elimination game.
- Prague / O2 Arena will host the European pool of round‑robin games and one elimination game.
- Edmonton / Rogers Place will host both semifinal games and the championship final.
And for those who may not be up to date on average monthly temperatures, Calgary has an average February high of 31 and a low of 12, and Edmonton is 26 and 9, respectively. So if you think you might want to go, well … make sure you pick up a really warm coat and some good snow boots between now and then.
World Cup of Hockey history
The 2028 event will be the fourth installment of the World Cup of Hockey, following previous tournaments in 1996, 2004, and 2016. The 2016 edition was won by Canada in Toronto, and the championship has traditionally brought together NHL players outside of Olympic competition.
The tournament’s revival comes as part of a broader effort to restore a regular international schedule that alternates between the Winter Olympics and World Cup of Hockey, giving the world’s best players frequent opportunities to compete for their countries on the global stage.
Next Steps
There’s nothing much to do just yet. We don’t know the teams, and we don’t know the dates, and even if we did, it would be too early to book anything. But it’s worth putting on the calendar if it’s something you might want to go to.
Oh … one more thing: if you can pick up a discounted Olympics hockey jersey from your favorite 2026 Milan team, you’ll have something ready to wear in 2028. Fanatics has some Team Canada jerseys onsale, and you can expect other teams to start getting discounted as well as time goes on.
