2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
 | |
| 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 |
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.
Background
The tournament will be returning to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul region after last being hosted there in 1982.[1] This will mark the seventh time that the United States will host the WJC and first time since 2018.[1] 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.[2]
Venues
| Minneapolis–Saint Paul | ||
|---|---|---|
| Xcel Energy Center Capacity: 17,954 |
3M Arena at Mariucci Capacity: 10,257 | |
|
| |
Top Division
Seeding
- Group A
(Xcel Energy Center)
- United States (1)
Sweden (4)
Canada (5)
Switzerland (8)
Germany (9)
- Group B
(3M Arena at Mariucci)
Division I
Group A
Austria
France
Kazakhstan – relegated from top division
Norway
Slovenia
Group B
Hungary – relegated from division I A
Division II
Group A
Group B
Division III
Group A
Thailand – promoted from division III B
Group B
References
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ "Minneapolis-St. Paul to host 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship". ESPN.com. January 5, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
