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Tournament details | |
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Host country | ![]() |
City | Minneapolis–Saint Paul |
Venue(s) | Grand Casino Arena and 3M Arena at Mariucci |
Dates | December 26, 2025 – January 5, 2026 |
Teams | 10 |
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]
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]
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 | ||
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Grand Casino Arena Capacity: 17,954 | 3M Arena at Mariucci Capacity: 10,257 | ||
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Ten teams will take part in the competition. Denmark will return for the first time since 2019, replacing Kazakhstan who were immediately relegated back to Division I A after finishing last in 2025.
Team | Qualification method | Appearance(s) | Previous best performance | |||
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Total | First | Last | Streak | |||
![]() | First in 2025 | 50th | 1977 | 2025 | 50 | Champions (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021, 2024, 2025) |
![]() | Second in 2025 | 50 | Champions (1987, 1998, 2014, 2016, 2019) | |||
![]() | Third in 2025 | 50 | Champions (2000, 2001) | |||
![]() | Fourth in 2025 | 50 | Champions (1981, 2012) | |||
![]() | Fifth in 2025 | 50 | Champions (Twenty times) [a] | |||
![]() | Sixth in 2025 | 31st | 1996 | 31 | Third place (1999, 2015) | |
![]() | Seventh in 2025 | 10th | 2006 | 5 | Seventh place (2022, 2025) | |
![]() | Eighth in 2025 | 39th | 1978 | 17 | Third place (1998) | |
![]() | Ninth in 2025 | 32nd | 1977 | 7 | Fifth place (1981) | |
![]() | Champions of Division I A | 8th | 2008 | 2019 | 1 | Fifth place (2017) |
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The Division I, Group A tournament will take place in Bled, Slovenia between December 7–13, 2025.
The Division I, Group B tournament will take place in Milan, Italy between December 8–14, 2025.
The Division II, Group A tournament will take place in Bucharest, Romania between January 4–10, 2026.
The Division II, Group B tournament will take place in Belgrade, Serbia between January 18–24, 2026.
The Division III, Group A tournament will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria between January 19–25, 2026.
The Division III, Group B tournament will take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan between January 18–24, 2026.