The 2028 World Cup of Hockey was officially announced on Monday. At a joint NHL/NHLPA press conference, commissioner Gary Bettman revealed that the cities of Calgary, Edmonton, and Prague will host the tournament.
The first seven games of the North American side of the bracket will be played at Calgary’s soon-to-be-completed Scotia Place, while Prague’s O2 Arena will do the same on the European side. Edmonton’s Rogers Place will then get the semifinals and final.
While the location of the tournament has been decided, which eight countries will participate is still up in the air. Ron Hainsey, assistant executive director of the NHLPA, seemingly left open the possibility of Russia returning to international play, saying the “top eight hockey countries” would be included.
“We’re going to see how things develop,” Bettman added. “Time will tell. There isn’t an immediate need or urgency to make that decision, so let’s see how things play out.”
The last senior men’s major competition in which Russian players participated was the 2021 World Championship. The continued bans come as part of sanctions imposed following the nation’s illegal military invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The IIHF recently met and agreed to extend Russia’s ban through the 2026-27 season.
In response to the IIHF, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation issued a statement, expressing disappointment at not being involved in the discussions and its plans to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The sparring comes after the Russian teams on the men’s and women’s sides of the 2026 Olympic tournament were replaced by France.
According to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, full-scale reintegration is unlikely until the war in Ukraine ends. Johnston’s sources say that the governing bodies behind hockey in Sweden, Finland, and Czechia, as well as potentially Canada, would bar their teams from any tournament involving Russia if the war is still ongoing.
Outside of the logistics regarding Russian participation, the NHL will also have to deal with this version of the tournament taking place in the middle of the 2027-28 season. The last World Cup in 2016 occurred in September, during the preseason.
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed that the tournament will be held over 13 days and that the NHL will likely shut down for nearly 20 days. The league has also begun discussions with the IIHF about overseas leagues potentially lending players to participating teams.
All games will be played under NHL rules, which will primarily affect overtime in the knockout stages of the tournament. Instead of 3-on-3 to finish tied games, the two teams will play regular 5-on-5, Stanley Cup Playoffs-style overtime.
Here’s the full press release from the NHL:
World Cup of Hockey 2028 Headed to Europe and North America
Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, Canada and Prague, Czechia Awarded the Expanded Best-on Best Follow-up to the Electrifying 4 Nations Face-Off; Competition Set for February 2028
NEW YORK / TORONTO (March 16, 2026) – The new home of entertainment in Calgary, Scotia Place, and state-of-the-art Rogers Place in Edmonton, both in Alberta, Canada, along with the world-class O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia will host the next edition of best-on-best competition in the World Cup of Hockey 2028. This marks another key milestone in the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) plan for expanded, eight-nation premier international best-on-best hockey. The tournament will be held in February 2028.
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 semifinal games and the championship game will be held in Edmonton. 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,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “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 Marty Walsh, NHLPA Executive Director. “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.”
“Hosting the World Cup of Hockey at Scotia Place is an exciting moment for Calgary and for hockey fans across Alberta,” said Robert Hayes, President and CEO, Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation. “As the future home of entertainment in our city, Scotia Place will provide an incredible stage to welcome the world and showcase Calgary’s passion for hockey. We look forward to hosting this best-on-best tournament with Edmonton and are incredibly grateful to the NHL, NHLPA and our partners for the opportunity to bring one of the game’s premier international events to our province.”
“We are thrilled that Edmonton has been selected as a co-host of the World Cup of Hockey 2028 along with our partners in Calgary,” said Stu Ballantyne, President & COO, OEG Sports & Entertainment. “As seen recently with the 4 Nations Face-Off and Winter Olympic Games, there is nothing like best-on-best hockey, and there is no better place than Alberta, the heartland of hockey, to host the world for one of hockey’s biggest events. We would like to thank the NHL and NHLPA for selecting Alberta, and all the other partners who came together to secure this major international event for our province. Fans, get ready for something special.”
“The return of the World Cup is an extraordinary event for the entire international hockey community. 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,” said Tomáš Petera, owner of Perinvest Group, which will organize the event in the Czech Republic. “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.”
The expression of interest phase for the host cities and venues began in June 2025. The NHL and NHLPA launched a formal RFP (request for proposal) phase for the 28 cities across North America and Europe in the running to host the tournament. The RFP process was supported by Playfly Sports, a leading sports marketing and media company with deep experience in major international events.
The state-of-the-art arena, currently under construction, will be home to the NHL’s Calgary Flames, WHL’s Calgary Hitmen and AHL’s Calgary Wranglers starting with the 2027-28 season. The venue will be in the heart of Calgary’s Culture + Entertainment District downtown. Calgary is Canada’s fastest growing large city with a track record for welcoming the world. More than a million people visit the world-famous Calgary Stampede each summer to experience hospitality like no other. Named the friendliest city in the world in 2023, Calgary is the winter sport capital of Canada hosting multiple world cups each year as an enduring legacy of the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Known as Canada’s festival city and ranked Canada’s #1 sports city by Burson’s 2025 Global Sports Cities report, Edmonton’s proven track record for hosting large-scale events includes the Stanley Cup Final, the first-ever Heritage Classic outdoor game in 2003, the 2023 NHL Heritage Classic, the IHF World Juniors, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the JUNOs, and more.
Prague, the capital of Czechia, has hosted three IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships (2004, 2015, 2024), numerous tennis championships and world-renowned marathons, cultural festivals and global conferences. Prague sits alone as the city that has hosted the second-most NHL regular season games outside North America, with all nine contests held at O2 Arena. The venue is one of the most modern multipurpose arenas 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 overwhelming success of the 4 Nations Face-Off, continued with participation in the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and is expected to be followed up with the French Alps 2030 Olympic Winter Games.
This edition of the tournament marks the fourth World Cup of Hockey in history, following successful events in 1996, 2004, and 2016. For more information, visit NHL.com/wcoh. Additional details, including ticket information and broadcast schedule, will be announced in the coming months.
