SportBackground

Canada to host World Junior Hockey Championship at end of 2026

The world's top under-20 hockey tournament was set for Canada over the 2026–27 turn of the year, raising early questions about Russian visas.

10 Nov 2026, 16:001 min read

This summary was written by AI to complete the context; it is not based on a current source.

The IIHF World Junior Championship, the leading annual under-20 ice hockey tournament, was scheduled to be played in Canada at the end of 2026. Hockey Canada, the CHL (Canada's junior leagues) and the International Ice Hockey Federation later named Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, as hosts, with games running from 26 December 2026 into early January 2027.

The tournament is among Canada's biggest sporting events, and it is traditionally a major draw for television audiences and fans there. Because the edition runs across the new year, it is often referred to by either year.

It mattered for a political reason as well. Russia and Belarus had been excluded from IIHF competitions since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Any move to bring Russian teams back would therefore depend on the host country letting players in, and Canada, a strong supporter of Ukraine, controls its own visas. From the moment Canada became the host, Russian participation and the issuing of visas were open questions.