2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships

2026 IIHF World Junior Championship

Tournament details
Host country	United States
City	Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Venue(s)	Xcel Energy Center and 3M Arena at Mariucci
Dates	December 26, 2025 – January 5, 2026
Teams	10
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The 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (2026 WJC) will be the 50th Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. It will begin on December 26, 2025, and will end with the gold medal game being played on January 5, 2026.

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. ^{[1] [2]}

Venues

The tournament games will be played at the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota Frost, and 3M Arena at Mariucci, located at the University of Minnesota. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Saint Paul	Minneapolis–Saint Paul		Minneapolis
Xcel Energy Center Capacity: 17,954			3M Arena at Mariucci Capacity: 10,257

Seeding

Group A
(Xcel Energy Center)

•   United States (1)
•   Sweden (4)
•   Canada (5)
•    Switzerland (8)
•   Germany (9)

Group B
(3M Arena at Mariucci)

•   Finland (2)
•   Czechia (3)
•   Slovakia (6)
•   Latvia (7)
•   Denmark (11-Promoted)

Division I

Main article: § Division I

Group A

•   Austria
•   France
•   Kazakhstan – relegated from Top Division
•   Norway
•   Slovenia
•   Ukraine – promoted from Division I B

Group B

•   Estonia
•   Hungary – relegated from Division I A
•   Italy
•   Japan
•   Lithuania – promoted from Division II A
•   Poland

Division II

Main article: § Division II

Group A

•   China
•   Croatia
•   Great Britain
•   Romania
•   South Korea – relegated from Division I B
•   Spain – promoted from Division II B

Group B

•   Australia
•   Iceland
•   Israel
•   Netherlands – relegated from Division II A
•   New Zealand – promoted from Division III A
•   Serbia

Division III

Main article: § Division III

Group A

•   Belgium – relegated from Division II B
•   Bosnia and Herzegovina
•   Bulgaria
•   Chinese Taipei
•   Thailand – promoted from Division III B
•   Turkey

Group B

•   Kyrgyzstan
•   Luxembourg
•   Mexico – relegated from Division III A
•   South Africa

References

1. "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.
2. "IIHF - Host State Information". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
3. "Minneapolis-St. Paul to host 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship". ESPN.com. January 5, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
4. "IIHF - Xcel Energy Center". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
5. "IIHF - 3M Arena at Mariucci". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2025-01-26.