It's Official — The World Cup of Hockey 2028 Is Coming to Calgary, Edmonton, and Prague
The World Cup of Hockey 2028 is happening. The NHL and NHLPA confirmed on March 16 that the best-on-best international tournament will return in February 2028 after a 12-year absence, with Calgary, Edmonton, and Prague serving as the three host cities. Eight nations. Seventeen games. Thirteen days. And for the first time, every single roster will represent an actual country — no gimmick squads, no Team Europe, no Team North America.
The announcement dropped via a promotional video featuring David Pastrnak, Cale Makar, and Connor McDavid — a Czech star, a Calgary native, and Edmonton's captain. Not subtle. Not supposed to be.
Key Takeaways
- Host cities: Calgary (Scotia Place), Edmonton (Rogers Place), Prague (O2 Arena)
- Format: 8 nations split into two pools of four, round-robin into single-elimination
- Games: 17 total over 13 days — Calgary and Prague host 7 each, Edmonton gets both semifinals and the final
- NHL pause: The 2027-28 regular season will shut down for 17 days to accommodate the tournament
- Media rights: Bidding process launching shortly — Rogers, ESPN, and TNT all in the mix
- History: First World Cup since 2016 — Canada has won two of the three tournaments ever played
- All real nations: No composite teams like the widely criticized Team Europe and Team North America from 2016
How the World Cup of Hockey 2028 Format Works
The tournament structure is clean. Two pools of four nations — one pool plays in Calgary, the other in Prague. Six round-robin games per pool. After that, the top three teams from each group advance to the elimination round.
Here's where it gets interesting. Pool winners skip directly to the semifinals. Second-place and third-place finishers from each pool play a single elimination game — one in Calgary, one in Prague — for the right to join them. Both semifinals and the championship game take place in Edmonton at Rogers Place.
- Calgary (Scotia Place) — 7 games: 6 round-robin + 1 elimination
- Prague (O2 Arena) — 7 games: 6 round-robin + 1 elimination
- Edmonton (Rogers Place) — 3 games: 2 semifinals + final
The Calgary angle deserves its own paragraph. Scotia Place doesn't even exist yet. The Flames' brand-new arena is scheduled to open for the 2027-28 season, and the World Cup of Hockey 2028 will be among its first major international events. Commissioner Gary Bettman practically beamed when discussing it: “We think all three cities are going to do great things for this event… highlighting the best-on-best that we believe is the best of any sport.”
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly drew a direct line from the Milan Cortina Olympics to this tournament. “The hockey got better as the Olympics progressed,” he said. “I think we're going to start in a situation where the hockey is really good right away.” That's the pitch: Olympic intensity from puck drop, without the IOC's production constraints. The NHL and NHLPA retain full broadcast and production control — a massive difference from the Olympic model.
World Cup of Hockey — A Short but Loaded History
This will be only the fourth World Cup of Hockey ever played. The tournament has never been a regular fixture — it's been sporadic, unpredictable, and always controversial in some form.
| Year | Host | Winner | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Various | USA | Canada |
| 2004 | Various | Canada | Finland |
| 2016 | Toronto | Canada | Team Europe |
| 2028 | CGY/EDM/PRG | TBD | TBD |
The 2016 edition in Toronto was entertaining hockey but left a bad taste. Team Europe — a collection of players from smaller hockey nations stitched together into one roster — somehow reached the final. Team North America, a squad of under-24 stars from the US and Canada, was electric but felt like an exhibition gimmick. Fans wanted country-versus-country. They're getting it now.
NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh made the player sentiment clear: “It's a great day for hockey… Our players want this. It's wonderful for our fans.”
What's Next for the World Cup of Hockey 2028
Exact tournament dates within February 2028 haven't been announced. Ticket information is coming later. The participating eight nations haven't been formally confirmed, though Canada, the United States, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, and Switzerland are virtual locks based on recent international rosters. The final two spots could go to Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, or potentially a reinstated Russian team — though that remains politically complicated.
The media rights bidding is the next domino. The NHL will negotiate with Rogers in Canada and both Disney/ESPN and TNT in the United States, with international platforms already reaching out. Unlike the Olympics, the NHL controls every camera angle, every broadcast window, every piece of content. That's worth billions in a sports media market desperate for premium winter programming.
The World Cup of Hockey 2028 slots into a new biennial international calendar — Olympics in 2026, World Cup in 2028, Olympics in 2030, and so on. After decades of fighting with the IOC over player participation, the NHL has built its own ecosystem. The 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025, the Milan Cortina Olympics, and now this. Hockey's international pipeline is finally running on schedule. February 2028 can't come fast enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where will the World Cup of Hockey 2028 be held?
The World Cup of Hockey 2028 will be held across three cities: Calgary (Scotia Place), Edmonton (Rogers Place), and Prague (O2 Arena). Round-robin and elimination games take place in Calgary and Prague, while both semifinals and the championship final will be played in Edmonton.
How many teams are in the 2028 World Cup of Hockey?
Eight nations will compete in the World Cup of Hockey 2028, split into two pools of four. Every team will represent an individual country — the NHL and NHLPA eliminated the composite teams (Team Europe, Team North America) that were used in the 2016 tournament.
When is the 2028 World Cup of Hockey?
The World Cup of Hockey 2028 is scheduled for February 2028. Exact dates have not been announced. The NHL confirmed that the 2027-28 regular season will pause for 17 days to accommodate the tournament and allow players time to reintegrate with their NHL clubs.
