2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships

Last updated
2026 IIHF World Junior Championship
2026 IIHF World Junior Championship logo.png
Tournament details
Host countryFlag of the United States.svg United States
City Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Venue(s) Grand Casino Arena and
3M Arena at Mariucci
DatesDecember 26, 2025 –
January 5, 2026
Teams10
  2025
2027  

The 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (2026 WJC) will be the 50th Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. The top division will begin on December 26, 2025, and will end with the gold medal game being played on January 5, 2026. [1]

Contents

Top Division

Background

The tournament will be returning to Minnesota after last being hosted there in 1982. This will mark the seventh time that the United States will host the WJC and first time since 2018. [2] [3]

Venues

The tournament games will be played at the Grand Casino Arena, home of the Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota Frost, and 3M Arena at Mariucci, located at the University of Minnesota. [4] [5] [6]

Saint Paul Minneapolis
Grand Casino Arena
Capacity: 17,954
3M Arena at Mariucci
Capacity: 10,257
XcelEnergyCenteroverview.jpg Mariucci Arena with flags.jpg

Seeding

Group A
(Grand Casino Arena)
Group B
(3M Arena at Mariucci)
  1. 1 2 The organizer swapped Slovakia and Canada in the group alignments. [7]

Division I

Group A

The Division I, Group A tournament will take place in Bled, Slovenia between December 7–13, 2025.

Group B

The Division I, Group B tournament will take place in Milan, Italy between December 8–14, 2025.

Division II

Group A

The Division II, Group A tournament will take place in Bucharest, Romania between January 4–10, 2026.

Group B

The Division II, Group B tournament will take place in Belgrade, Serbia between January 18–24, 2026.

Division III

Group A

The Division III, Group A tournament will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria between January 19–25, 2026.

Group B

The Division III, Group B tournament will take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan between January 18–24, 2026.

References

  1. "IIHF - Tournaments". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  2. "USA Hockey Selects Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis to Host 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship". USA Hockey. January 5, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  3. "IIHF - Host State Information". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
  4. "Minneapolis-St. Paul to host 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship". ESPN.com. January 5, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  5. "IIHF - Grand Casino Arena". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
  6. "IIHF - 3M Arena at Mariucci". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
  7. "Groups Set For 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship". usahockey.com. 7 March 2025.