France to Host 2028 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships

France will host the world men’s ice hockey championships in 2028 with games in Paris and Lyon, two years ahead of its planned hosting of the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The Accor Arena in Paris and the LDLC Arena in Lyon will host the 16-team tournament from May 12–28, 2028. It will be the third time the world championships are in France, following 1951 and 2017.

“I’m very proud and pleased that the hockey family has placed its trust in us for this project, recognizing our capacity to organize such a large-scale event,” said Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, president of the French Hockey Federation. “As we head towards the 2030 Olympic Games, this event represents an exceptional opportunity to promote and develop our sport by capitalizing on our expertise and know-how.”

The International Ice Hockey Federation made the announcement over the weekend as this year’s championship was the most successful to date in overall attendance as nearly 798,000 people attended games in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic, with the host country winning 2-0 over Switzerland in the final to end a 14-year gold medal drought. With the tournament’s schedule always conflicting with the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, many players are not available to participate for their national teams or only become available after their NHL teams have been eliminated.