World Cup of Hockey 2028 Heads to Europe and North America

The World Cup of Hockey 2028 will be hosted in Canada and Europe in February 2028, it has been announced.

Two NHL arenas — Scotia Place, the new home of the Calgary Flames that is scheduled to open for the 2027-28 season, and Rogers Place, home of the Edmonton Oilers — will host the next edition of the World Cup of Hockey along with O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia, marking a key milestone in the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association’s plan for expanded, eight-nation premier international best-on-best hockey. The participating countries will be determined at a later date.

Calgary and Edmonton will jointly serve as hosts representing the Province of Alberta. Calgary and Prague will each host seven games – six round-robin and one elimination game in each market – while two semi-final games and the championship game will be held in Edmonton.

Just like with the Olympics, the event will cause the NHL to pause its season. There will be a total of 17 games over the 13 days of the tournament, and broadcast rights have not been finalized.

The World Cup of Hockey has been held three previous times, in 1996, 2004 and 2016. The next edition of the tournament will feature 17 games, along with extensive ancillary programming including unique fan events and media days.

“There is no international competition in sports that matches the passion, skill, and excitement of hockey’s best-on-best coming together to represent their countries — last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off and the recent Winter Olympics were just the latest examples,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “We at the National Hockey League and our partners at the National Hockey League Players’ Association can’t wait to bring the World Cup of Hockey 2028 to three spectacular venues in three cities that shine when staging big events.

“We know Calgary, Edmonton and Prague will serve as fantastic hosts for hockey fans from all over the globe, and that the greatest hockey players in the world will compete on a level that will make this event truly memorable.”

“Coming off the amazing international hockey played at the recent Olympic Winter games, NHL players are very excited to return to international hockey at the World Cup of Hockey 2028,” said NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh. “Calgary, Edmonton and Prague are cities with very deep roots in hockey, and the games will be played in three hockey venues that will be amongst the best in the world. The players cannot wait to don their home country’s sweaters in Alberta and Prague in February 2028.”

Bidding Process and Preparation

The expression of interest phase for the host cities and venues began in June 2025, when the NHL and NHLPA launched a formal RFP process, supported by marketing company Playfly Sports, for 28 cities across North America and Europe that were in the running to host the tournament.

In addition to hosting the Flames when it opens, Scotia Place will also be the home of the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen and AHL’s Calgary Wranglers starting from the 2027–28 season.

The city of Edmonton, meanwhile, has a track record of hosting large-scale events, including the Stanley Cup Final, the first Heritage Classic outdoor game in 2003, the 2023 NHL Heritage Classic, the IHF World Juniors, the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the JUNOs.

Prague has hosted three IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships (2004, 2015, 2024), tennis championships, marathons, cultural festivals and global conferences. The city has also hosted the second-most NHL regular season games outside North America, with all nine contests held at O2 Arena.

“The return of the World Cup is an extraordinary event for the entire international hockey community,” said Tomáš Petera, owner of Perinvest Group, which will organize the event in Czechia. “We greatly appreciate the trust shown by the NHL and NHLPA in deciding that the tournament will be played in the Czech Republic for the first time.

“I see this tournament as an opportunity to confirm our position as one of Europe’s key hubs for hosting major sporting events. We expect strong international interest, high attendance and a significant economic impact on the Czech Republic.”

Hockey Growth in Europe

The World Cup of Hockey 2028 is part of a regular schedule of international ice hockey competition involving NHL players, which began with the highly-successful 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 and continued recently with participation in the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the first time NHL players had taken part in the Olympics since 2014.

It comes after the NHL and the NHLPA announced a joint long-term international growth strategy to deepen their players’ presence in Germany. The plan includes strategic investment at grassroots levels, forging new business partnerships and committing to bringing more NHL regular season games to the country.

The strategy will begin with the 2026 NHL Global Series Germany, a pair of games between the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks at PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf on December 18 and December 20, 2026.

Additional details regarding ticket information and the broadcast schedule will be announced in the coming months.