Alberta’s capital and its neighbours three hours south have been selected as two of three host cities for the National Hockey League’s 2028 World Cup of Hockey.

Edmonton and Calgary were selected as the two North American cities, while Prague, Czechia, will also host games. Calgary and Prague will host six round-robin games and one elimination game, while Edmonton will host two semifinal games and the championship game.

It marks one of the first major NHL events to be held in Edmonton since the Oilers’ downtown arena, Rogers Place, was opened in 2016. Calgary, meanwhile, is in the process of building its downtown arena, Scotia Place, and it’s expected to open in time for the 2027-28 season. Games in Prague will be played at the O2 Arena.

“There is no international competition in sports that matches the passion, skill, and excitement of hockey’s best-on-best coming together to represent their countries — last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off and the recent Winter Olympics were just the latest examples,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “We at the National Hockey League and our partners at the National Hockey League Players’ Association can’t wait to bring the World Cup of Hockey 2028 to three spectacular venues in three cities that shine when staging big events.

“We know Calgary, Edmonton, and Prague will serve as fantastic hosts for hockey fans from all over the globe, and that the greatest hockey players in the world will compete on a level that will make this event truly memorable.”

The event in 2028 will be the fourth World Cup of Hockey held, with the first coming in 1996, won by the United States, and again in 2004, won by Canada. Team Canada also won the most recent World Cup of Hockey in 2016, when they beat Team Europe.

While the 2016 event featured a Team Europe, representing players from Germany, Czechia, Switzerland, France, Austria, Denmark, Norway and Slovakia, as well as a Team North America, representing Canadian and American players under 23 years old, neither team is expected to return for the 2028 event. Teams haven’t been officially announced, but eight countries are expected to participate.

The 2028 World Cup of Hockey is part of the NHL’s recommitment to international best-on-best play, having created the 4-Nations Face-Off in 2024, participation of players in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, and the expected follow-up of the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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