2026 Olympic Ice Hockey Schedule Revealed
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has presented the official schedule for the ice hockey tournaments, both men’s and women’s, for the 2026 Olympic Games, which will be held in Milan and Cortina. Women’s hockey will begin on February 5th, with exciting initial matchups. Among them, the duel between the United States and the Czech Republic stands out, as well as the match between Canada and Finland. The expected clash between the United States and Canada, two powerhouses of women’s hockey, will take place in the preliminary phase on February 10th. The gold medal final is scheduled for February 19th. Men’s hockey, which marks the return of NHL players, will begin the following day, with Finland facing Slovakia and Italy, the host country, against Sweden. Without Russia’s participation in the tournament, the United States will compete in the group with Germany, Latvia, and Denmark, facing each of them in a round-robin format. The United States’ debut will be on February 12 against Latvia, coinciding with the match between Canada and the Czech Republic. This will be the first time that the best NHL players participate since the Sochi 2014 Games.In the men’s competition, no team will be eliminated in the group stage. The top four teams will advance to the quarterfinals, while the remaining eight will participate in a qualifying round. The matches will be played on NHL-sized rinks, located in the Milano Santagiulia and Milano Rho stadiums. The final is scheduled for February 22nd, being the last event of the Olympic Games before the closing ceremony. This calendar announcement comes one day after the federations involved revealed the first six players selected for their respective teams.It’s fantastic that NHL players are returning to the Olympics. Obviously, it’s the biggest sporting stage in the world, and we’re all happy to be participating again.
Bill Guerin, General Manager of the United States
