Quick Read
- The 2028 World Cup of Hockey will be co-hosted by Calgary, Edmonton, and Prague in February 2028.
- The tournament will feature 17 games, with Edmonton’s Rogers Place hosting the semifinals and the championship final.
- This event marks the first time the World Cup of Hockey will be held in the Czech Republic, following the tournament’s return to the international calendar.
CALGARY/EDMONTON/PRAGUE (Azat TV) – The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association announced on March 16, 2026, that the 2028 World Cup of Hockey will be co-hosted by three cities across two continents: Calgary and Edmonton in Canada, and Prague in the Czech Republic. This selection marks a significant expansion for the tournament, which will be held in February 2028 and serves as the fourth iteration of the event following the 1996, 2004, and 2016 editions.
A Transatlantic Stage for Best-on-Best Competition
The tournament will feature 17 games across the three venues. Calgary’s forthcoming Scotia Place and Prague’s O2 Arena are slated to host seven games each, consisting of six round-robin matchups and one elimination game per market. The tournament’s climax, including both semifinal games and the championship final, will take place at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
This structure underscores the NHL’s commitment to maintaining a consistent cadence of international play. According to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, the event builds directly upon the momentum generated by the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the return of NHL players to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan. The inclusion of Prague marks the first time the Czech Republic will serve as a host for the World Cup, a move that local organizers expect will solidify the nation’s status as a premier European hub for international sports.
Logistics and Economic Impact
The selection process, which began in June 2025, involved an extensive request for proposal (RFP) phase that evaluated 28 cities across North America and Europe. The final decision to split the tournament between Alberta and the Czech capital reflects a strategic effort to maximize global reach and tap into established hockey infrastructures. While the specific participating eight nations remain to be announced, the league has confirmed that the tournament will adhere to its premier best-on-best format, ensuring that the world’s top professional talent will represent their respective home countries.
Building on Recent International Success
The 2028 World Cup arrives during a period of renewed interest in international hockey. Following the competitive intensity of the 2026 Olympic final, where the United States secured a victory over Canada in overtime, the NHL and NHLPA have prioritized a schedule that ensures regular, high-stakes international engagement. For players like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Jack Hughes, the 2028 tournament represents another critical opportunity to compete on the global stage outside of the standard league season.
The decision to integrate Prague alongside Canadian hubs suggests that the NHL is aggressively pursuing a broader European market presence, leveraging the Czech Republic’s proven track record of hosting major IIHF events to ensure the World Cup retains its status as a must-watch global spectacle rather than a regional North American exhibition.