2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Schedule, Dates, Start Times, Venues

2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Full Schedule, Dates, Start Times, Venues, How To Watch
 

The 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship (Men's Top Division) is scheduled from May 15 to May 31, 2026, hosted by Switzerland in two cities: Zurich (Swiss Life Arena for Group A games and key playoff matches) and Fribourg (BCF Arena for Group B games and select playoffs). This is the premier annual international men's hockey tournament featuring 16 top nations, with 64 games total (preliminary round, quarterfinals, semifinals, bronze, and gold medal games). The user-provided schedule matches the official preliminary round games as listed on iihf.com (with "Your time" likely reflecting a timezone like CEST or similar, 6 hours ahead of ET; local Swiss time is CEST, UTC+2 in May).

When is 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship?

May 15–31, 2026 (preliminary round May 15–26; playoffs May 28–31).


Where is 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship held?

Switzerland: Swiss Life Arena (Zurich) for Group A & key playoffs; BCF Arena (Fribourg) for Group B & select playoffs.

How To Watch 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship? 

United States: Likely NHL Network (as with recent IIHF events; confirm closer to the tournament for full rights). Select games may stream on ESPN+ or other platforms.  

Canada: TSN (and potentially RDS for French-language coverage), with comprehensive Team Canada game broadcasts.  

Europe and Other Regions: Local broadcasters (e.g., Eurosport, SVT in Sweden, or national channels in participating countries like Finland's MTV or Germany's MagentaSport).

2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Full Schedule, Dates, Start Times, Venues 

All Times Local CEST

Day 1 – Thursday, 15 May 2026

 Finland vs Germany – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

Canada vs Sweden – BCF Arena, 16:20  

USA vs Switzerland – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

Czechia vs Denmark – BCF Arena, 20:20

Day 2 – Friday, 16 May 2026

Great Britain vs Austria – Swiss Life Arena, 12:20  

Slovakia vs Norway – BCF Arena, 12:20  

Hungary vs Finland – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

Italy vs Canada – BCF Arena, 16:20  

Switzerland vs Latvia – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

Slovenia vs Czechia – BCF Arena, 20:20

Day 3 – Saturday, 17 May 2026

Great Britain vs USA – Swiss Life Arena, 12:20  

Italy vs Slovakia – BCF Arena, 12:20  

Austria vs Hungary – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

Denmark vs Sweden – BCF Arena, 16:20  

Germany vs Latvia – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

Norway vs Slovenia – BCF Arena, 20:20

Day 4 – Sunday, 18 May 2026

Finland vs USA – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

Canada vs Denmark – BCF Arena, 16:20  

Germany vs Switzerland – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

Sweden vs Czechia – BCF Arena, 20:20

Day 5 – Monday, 19 May 2026

Latvia vs Austria – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

Italy vs Norway – BCF Arena, 16:20  

Hungary vs Great Britain – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

Slovenia vs Slovakia – BCF Arena, 20:20

Day 6 – Tuesday, 20 May 2026

Austria vs Switzerland – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

Czechia vs Italy – BCF Arena, 16:20  

USA vs Germany – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

Sweden vs Slovenia – BCF Arena, 20:20

Day 7 – Wednesday, 21 May 2026

Latvia vs Finland – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

Canada vs Norway – BCF Arena, 16:20  

Switzerland vs Great Britain – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

Denmark vs Slovakia – BCF Arena, 20:20

Day 8 – Thursday, 22 May 2026

Germany vs Hungary – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

Canada vs Slovenia – BCF Arena, 16:20  

Finland vs Great Britain – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

Sweden vs Italy – BCF Arena, 20:20

Day 9 – Friday, 23 May 2026

Latvia vs USA – Swiss Life Arena, 12:20  

Denmark vs Slovenia – BCF Arena, 12:20  

Switzerland vs Hungary – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

Slovakia vs Czechia – BCF Arena, 16:20  

Austria vs Germany – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

Norway vs Sweden – BCF Arena, 20:20

Day 10 – Saturday, 24 May 2026  

Great Britain vs Latvia – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

Denmark vs Italy – BCF Arena, 16:20  

Finland vs Austria – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

Slovakia vs Canada – BCF Arena, 20:20

Day 11 – Sunday, 25 May 2026

USA vs Hungary – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

Czechia vs Norway – BCF Arena, 16:20  

Germany vs Great Britain – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

Slovenia vs Italy – BCF Arena, 20:20

Day 12 – Monday, 26 May 2026

  
Hungary vs Latvia – Swiss Life Arena, 12:20  

Norway vs Denmark – BCF Arena, 12:20  

USA vs Austria – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

Sweden vs Slovakia – BCF Arena, 16:20  

Switzerland vs Finland – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

Czechia vs Canada – BCF Arena, 20:20

Quarterfinals – Thursday, 28 May 2026

(all at Swiss Life Arena unless noted; exact QF matchups TBA based on standings: e.g., A1 vs B4, A2 vs B3, etc.)

QF1: TBD – Swiss Life Arena, 16:20  

QF2: TBD – BCF Arena, 16:20  

QF3: TBD – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20  

QF4: TBD – BCF Arena, 20:20

Semifinals – Saturday, 30 May 2026

Semifinals (Swiss Life Arena)  Semifinal 1 (Winner QF vs Winner QF) – 15:20  

Semifinal 2 (Winner QF vs Winner QF) – 20:00

Medal Games – Sunday, 31 May 2026

Bronze Medal Game (Loser SF1 vs Loser SF2) – Swiss Life Arena, 15:30  

Gold Medal Game (Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2) – Swiss Life Arena, 20:20

This is the complete official schedule as published by the IIHF. For live results, standings, or any last-minute changes, check iihf.com/en/events/2026/wm/schedule or the downloadable PDF version. Enjoy the tournament—it's going to be epic! 


______