The 2028 World Cup of Hockey is in February 2028, with games in Calgary, Edmonton and Prague. Eight national teams play 17 games over 13 days, with the semifinals and the final at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association run the tournament, and the exact dates, the teams and the broadcasters have not yet been announced.
| World Cup of Hockey 2028 at a glance | |
|---|---|
| When | February 2028. Exact dates not yet announced |
| Host cities | Calgary and Edmonton, Canada. Prague, Czechia |
| Teams | 8 national teams, not yet named |
| Games | 17 over 13 days |
| Final | Rogers Place, Edmonton |
| Organisers | NHL and NHLPA. Not an IIHF championship |
| Tickets | On-sale dates not yet announced |
| TV | Not yet announced |
| Previous edition | 2016, won by Canada |
When is the 2028 World Cup of Hockey?
In February 2028. The NHL and NHLPA announced the tournament’s return in February 2025, and the NHL’s tournament page says the schedule “will be released at a later time”. Its 17 games are spread over 13 days. It is the fourth World Cup of Hockey, after 1996, 2004 and 2016.
Where is the 2028 World Cup of Hockey?
In three cities, the NHL announced on 16 March 2026: Calgary and Edmonton in Canada, and Prague in Czechia.
| City | Arena | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Calgary | Scotia Place | 6 round-robin games and 1 quarterfinal |
| Prague | O2 Arena | 6 round-robin games and 1 quarterfinal |
| Edmonton | Rogers Place | 2 semifinals and the final |
Scotia Place is the Calgary Flames’ new arena, due to open for the 2027-28 season, so the World Cup will be one of the first events in the building. Rogers Place also hosts the 2027 World Juniors, which are covered in our World Juniors guide.
Which teams are in the 2028 World Cup of Hockey?
Eight national teams, but the NHL has not named them. Unlike 2016, there will be no mixed teams: the 2016 tournament had Team North America, made up of players 23 and under from Canada and the United States, and Team Europe, made up of players from European countries without their own team.
Will Russia play in the 2028 World Cup of Hockey?
That has not been decided. “We’re going to see how things develop. Time will tell,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said at the general managers’ meetings in March 2026, ESPN reported. He added that there was no “immediate need or urgency” to make the call.
The World Cup is not an IIHF event, so the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ban on Russia, in place since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, does not decide the question on its own. The NHL and NHLPA do. Russian players are already eligible for the World team at the 2027 NHL All-Star Game.
What is the 2028 World Cup of Hockey format?
Two pools of four teams play a round robin, one pool in Calgary and one in Prague. The top three in each pool go through to the knockout rounds.
| Stage | How it works |
|---|---|
| Round robin | Two pools of four. One in Calgary, one in Prague |
| Who advances | The top three in each pool |
| Pool winners | Go straight to the semifinals |
| Quarterfinals | Second and third place meet. One game in Calgary, one in Prague |
| Semifinals and final | All three games in Edmonton |
| Rules | NHL rules |
Fourteen of the 17 games are played in Calgary and Prague, but every game that decides the title is in Edmonton. A team that wins its pool plays five games: three in the round robin, the semifinal and the final.
How much are 2028 World Cup of Hockey tickets?
Prices and on-sale dates have not been announced. The NHL’s tournament page says ticket on-sale dates “will be announced closer to the event” and runs a sign-up form for updates on ticket sales.
What channel is the World Cup of Hockey on?
That has not been announced. The NHL controls the rights and is selling them separately from its regular deals with ESPN, TNT Sports and Rogers. The tournament page promises only that live coverage “will be available to fans around the world”.
Who will play for Canada at the 2028 World Cup of Hockey?
No rosters have been named. The NHL says it will announce them closer to the tournament. Canada’s most recent best-on-best teams were the one that won the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025 and the one that lost the Olympic final to the United States in February 2026.
Who won the World Cup of Hockey?
Canada has won it twice and the United States once, according to the Hockey Hall of Fame’s records.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | United States | Canada | United States won the best-of-three final 2-1 |
| 2004 | Canada | Finland | Canada 3, Finland 2 |
| 2016 | Canada | Team Europe | Canada won the best-of-three final 2-0 |
The World Cup replaced the Canada Cup, which the NHL, the NHLPA and Hockey Canada created in 1976. The best-on-best events since 2016:
| Year | Event | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | World Cup of Hockey, Toronto | Canada |
| 2025 | 4 Nations Face-Off | Canada, 3-2 in overtime against the United States |
| 2026 | Winter Olympics, Milan-Cortina | United States, 2-1 in overtime against Canada |
| 2028 | World Cup of Hockey | To be played |
Updated 25 September 2026
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