2026 Winter Olympics: Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament Kicks Off
The 2026 Winter Olympics will feature an exciting Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament. This year, twelve teams are participating, divided into three groups.
Group Divisions
The teams have been organized as follows:
- Group A: Canada, Czech Republic, Switzerland, France
- Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy
- Group C: United States, Germany, Latvia, Denmark
Match Schedule
The tournament kicks off on February 11, 2026. The opening games in Group B include:
- Slovakia vs. Finland at 17:40 (Romania time)
- Sweden vs. Italy at 22:10
On February 12, matches from the other groups will also take place:
- Switzerland vs. France at 13:10
- Czech Republic vs. Canada at 17:40
- Germany vs. Denmark at 22:10
- Latvia vs. United States at 22:10
Advancement Criteria
After the group stage, a complete ranking will be established for all twelve teams. The top four teams will move on to the quarter-finals, while teams placed 5th to 12th will compete in playoff matches for quarter-final spots.
Final Match Details
The Men’s Ice Hockey final is scheduled for February 22, 2026, at the Milano Arena. Defending Olympic champion Finland aims to showcase its strength. They secured the gold medal in 2022 with a narrow victory of 2-1 against Russia in Beijing.
This year, however, Finland is ranked as the fourth favorite for the gold medal, trailing behind Canada, the United States, and Sweden.
