Quick Read
- Prague will host six round-robin games and one elimination match at the O2 Arena during the 2028 World Cup of Hockey.
- The tournament marks a return to best-on-best international competition, with Calgary and Edmonton serving as North American host cities.
- The event is expected to bolster Prague’s status as a premier European sports hub and drive significant tourism revenue for the Czech capital.
PRAGUE (Azat TV) – The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association officially announced Monday that Prague will serve as the European host city for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey. This selection marks the first time the Czech Republic has been chosen as a primary stage for the tournament, signaling a significant return of best-on-best international hockey to the continent.
Prague Returns to the Global Hockey Spotlight
The decision to bring the tournament to the O2 Arena in Prague places the Czech capital back at the center of the international sports world. According to the NHL, the venue is slated to host six round-robin games and one elimination match. The announcement, confirmed on March 16, 2026, aims to build on the momentum of recent international events, including the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Winter Olympics. For the city of Prague, this selection represents a major boost in international prestige and is expected to drive substantial tourism revenue as fans from across the globe descend on the city in February 2028.
Logistical Stakes of a Trans-Atlantic Tournament
Organizing a tournament that spans two continents presents complex logistical challenges for both the league and the host city. Tomáš Petera, owner of Perinvest Group, which is tasked with organizing the event in the Czech Republic, stated that the tournament serves as a strategic opportunity to solidify the country’s position as a premier European hub for major sporting events. Beyond the operational requirements of hosting elite athletes and thousands of international visitors, the event will require seamless integration with the North American venues in Calgary and Edmonton. NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh emphasized that the deep-rooted hockey culture in these three cities made them the natural choice for the tournament, which will feature an eight-nation field.
Building on a New Era of International Competition
The 2028 tournament continues the NHL’s commitment to a biennial cycle of best-on-best international competitions, following the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina 2026 and preceding the 2030 Winter Olympics in Nice. This structure is designed to capitalize on the renewed interest in international play among the world’s top athletes. While the full schedule and the eight participating nations remain to be finalized, the announcement has already set high expectations for the economic and cultural impact on the Czech capital. As the city prepares to host the world’s greatest hockey players, local officials view the event as an essential milestone in Prague’s ongoing development as a host for high-profile global spectacles.
The selection of Prague as a co-host reflects a deliberate effort by the NHL and NHLPA to decentralize major international hockey events, effectively leveraging the city’s established infrastructure and central European location to maximize fan engagement and commercial reach in a post-Olympic landscape.