Ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics

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Ice hockey
at the Games of the Olympiad
Hockey pictogram
VenuesPalaItalia
Fiera Milano
Dates5–22 February
No. of events2 (1 men and 1 women)
Competitors530
← 2022
2030 →

The ice hockey competitions of the 2026 Winter Olympics will be played at two venues located in the Milan cluster: the PalaItalia and one of the Fiera Milano pavillions.At this edition of the games, for the first time since the 2010 Winter Olympics the size of the skating rinks will be 61-by-26-metre (200 ft × 85 ft) North American-sized rink instead of the IIHF rink mesures 60-by-30-metre (196.9 ft × 98.4 ft) .[1]

The men's tournament will have 12 teams competing, and the women's tournament 10.[2] Russia and Belarus are currently banned from competing in international championships through the IIHF's 2025 program due to their military aggression in Ukraine.[3] The decision on whether to expand the ban into 2026 has not been made yet the current ban has effectively disqualified Belarus from competing and may impact the championship further.

Venues[edit]

PalaItalia Fiera Milano
PalaItalia Fiera Milano
Milan Milan

Men's tournament[edit]

Main article: Ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament

The tournament will feature twelve countries, eight qualifying through the IIHF World Ranking, the host Italy, and three through qualifying tournaments. The format remains the same as the previous three Olympics; three groups of four compete in three games to determine seeding, each play every other team in their group, followed by four rounds of elimination games. Each group winner receives a bye into the second round, along with the highest ranked of the remaining teams. The remaining eight teams play an eliminating qualification game to advance to the quarter-final round. Each quarter-final winner advances to the semi-finals with the winners playing for the gold medal and the losers playing for the bronze.

On 2 February 2024, the IIHF announced that National Hockey League (NHL) players will participate in the Olympics for the first time since 2014. NHL players were originally scheduled to participate in 2022 but opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]

Qualification[edit]

Main article: Ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Men's qualification

Qualification for the men's tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics was determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2023 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships. The top eight will be joined the hosts and three qualifiers.[2]

Participating nations[edit]

The groups were established following the 2023 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships.[5] Qualifiers one, two, and three, are the winners of the final qualification tournaments. Their designation will be determined by their qualification seeding.

Group A Group B Group C

Women's tournament[edit]

Main article: Ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament

Ten countries will again compete in the women's tournament, six qualifying through the IIHF World Ranking, the host Italy, and three through qualifying tournaments.

Qualification[edit]

Main article: Ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Women's qualification

Qualification for the women's tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics will be determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2024 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships.[2]

Participating nations[edit]

The groups will be established following the 2024 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships. Qualifiers one, two, and three, are the winners of the final qualification tournaments. Their designation will be determined by their qualification seeding.

Group A Group B

Qualification summary / Participating NOC's[edit]

Nations Men Women Athletes
 Canada Yes Yes 48
 Czech Republic Yes Yes 48
 Finland Yes Yes 48
 Germany Yes 25
 Italy Yes Yes 48
 Russia[a] Yes Yes 48
 Sweden Yes 25
 Switzerland Yes Yes 48
 United States Yes Yes 48
Total: 9 NOCs 9 7 386
  1. ^ a b c The participation of Russia is not yet confirmed and depends on if the team is allowed to return to the IIHF Championship program.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "NHL to return to Olympics for 2026, 2030 Winter Games". France 24. 2 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Qualification System – XXV Olympic Winter Games" (PDF). Olympics.com. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Russia and Belarus not reincorporated into 2024/2025 IIHF Championship Season". iihf.com. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  4. ^ "NHL players to return to Olympics in 2026 and 2030". CNN.com. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  5. ^ "2026 Men's Olympic Winter Games & Qualification Tournament Program" (PDF). IIHF.com. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
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