The 2026 IIHF World Championship will be hosted by Switzerland from 15 to 31 May 2026, as the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on 27 May 2022 in Tampere, Finland.
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Switzerland |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Dates | 15–31 May |
| Teams | 16 |
Host nation bid
editThe only bidders were Kazakhstan and Switzerland.
Switzerland was originally slated to host in 2020 but the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions, while Kazakhstan hasn't hosted any tournaments.
In the end, on 27 May 2022, IIHF Congress awarded Switzerland rights to host the competition.[1] No votes were needed, due to Kazakhstan's bid withdrawal earlier.
Venues
edit| Zürich | Fribourg | |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss Life Arena | BCF Arena | |
| Capacity: 12,000 | Capacity: 9,009 | |
Participants
edit- Qualified as hosts
- Automatic qualifier after a top 14 placement at the 2025 IIHF World Championship
- Qualified through winning a promotion at the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division I
References
edit- ^ "IIHF - To Tampere/Riga in '23, to Switzerland in '26". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
