On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
Just hours before the 4 Nations Face-off begins, another international tournament is set to return: the World Cup of Hockey.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Wednesday that the World Cup of Hockey would return for 2028 and 2032 and is part of a broader strategy to alternate with the Winter Olympics starting in 2026, followed by the World Cup in 2028, and continuing this rotation every two years.
Gary Bettman officially announces the 2028 World Cup of Hockey.
Olympics and World Cup are going to rotate every two years starting in 2026 Olympics, 2028 WCH, 2030 Olympics, 2032 WCH, etc.
Locations TBD, bids will be solicited by NHL/NHLPA.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 12, 2025
The World Cup of Hockey, first held in 1996, is an international tournament featuring the world’s top national teams. The 2026 edition will be the fourth in the tournament’s history, following previous events in 1996, 2004, and 2016. Unlike the Olympic tournament and Ice Hockey World Championships, governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the NHL and NHLPA are organizing the World Cup of Hockey.
The last World Cup in 2016 included six standard national teams — Canada, the USA, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and the Czech Republic — and two hybrid teams: Team Europe and Team North America.
Team Europe consisted of players from smaller European nations, while Team North America comprised 23-and-under players from Canada and the USA. The 2028 tournament will abandon this format and feature only traditional national teams with at least eight participating countries.
World Cup of Hockey is coming back in 2028, Gary Bettman says.
Details:
-Cities can bid to host games, could see games played in Europe
-at least 8 teams, no gimmick teams like in 2016
-plan to play it every 4 years and also go to Olympics— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) February 12, 2025
Another change for 2028 is the possibility of games being played outside North America. Cities will be able to bid to host games, which indicates that some matches could take place in Europe.
Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, the NHL is hosting the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February 2025 (currently underway), featuring Canada, the U.S., Sweden, and Finland. This event serves as somewhat of a preview of high-level international play leading into the Olympics.
The NHL and NHLPA are finalizing the details of the 2028 World Cup, aiming to establish a long-term, sustainable model for international hockey. The alternating schedule with the Olympics is designed to provide consistent opportunities for NHL players to represent their countries while maintaining a structured international competition rotation.
Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson takes on head coach Rick Tocchet at 5 pm PST on Wednesday for the opening game of the tournament.
More must-reads:
- Veteran center attempting NHL comeback
- Lions CB undergoes shoulder surgery, will miss 2025 season
- The '2024-25 NFL passing-yard leaders' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
These Two Canadiens Players Are Developing A Ton of Chemistry
Over the past couple of weeks, there have been numerous players who have skated at the Complex Bell in Brossard. Among the most frequent guys are Patrik Laine and Ivan Demidov, who have developed a great amount of chemistry skating with each other every day. Fans and reporters have posted videos of the two working on one-timers and skating around at the practice rink. While it may only be a summer time skate but the fact that the two are putting in the work together is a great sign for how they should start the season if they have the right guy to be able to win faceoffs and get the duo the puck as the centre. Alex Newhook’s struggles in the circle may be one of the main reasons why the line struggled during the playoffs. Therefore, the plan needs to identify who the guy is in the organization who can complete this line. I have mentioned options for this in a previous article. A good sign of seeing Laine on the ice with Demidov is that he’s showing he does care about being a star hockey player, and his time in Columbus affected his love for the game. Expect Laine to have one of his best seasons in years if he stays healthy and continues to be among the guys who are putting in extra work. Previously, I had questioned Laine’s dedication to the game of hockey, but over the past few weeks, since I wrote about Laine’s spot within the team, he has proven me wrong. Which fits with a video I recently saw where you hear Laine say that no one should ever bet against him. Watching him this summer, I think he will be a much better 5-on-5 player this year as opposed to last year. Now he won’t ever be the best defensive player, but I think he can be decent enough to not hurt his team too much. At 3-on-3, a healthy Laine can be a true superstar like he was in last week’s LSHL game (summer pro league run in Montreal by former Habs prospect Zachary Fucale). In his only appearance to date in that league, Laine scored a hat-trick, which included breaking David Perron’s ankles for a beautiful goal. Now, about Demidov, similarly to Lane Hutson, who showed he can’t ever take a day off, he seems to see the game the same way. It seems like there isn’t a single morning when he’s not out on the ice in Brossard. It’s crazy how a workhorse like this fell to the Canadiens at pick 5 in 2024. For so long, there was a stigma against Russians not wanting to put in the work, and Demidov is putting that narrative to bed with how hard he works every day. His goal seems to be the very best player in the NHL. Like Laine, Demidov also played in the LSHL game last Tuesday, where he scored a nice breakaway goal that got the whole arena giving him a standing ovation. The team that both Laine and Demidov played on was filled with only Habs or Rocket players. For the entire game, the only 2 players who consistently played together were Laine and Demidov. The duo had a mix of Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans as the third guy throughout the game. The fact that they played together the whole time shows that even their teammates see how they have developed chemistry every day with those early morning skates, and nobody wants to break them up. Now, hopefully, this summer time chemistry transitions to chemistry when the games matter, starting in October.
Chargers star's brutal injury shows why players should hold out with new contracts on line
Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Rashawn Slater was carted off the practice field on Thursday afternoon with what turned out to be a significant injury. According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the two-time Pro Bowler suffered a season-ending knee injury. It's a massive blow to the team's offensive line and offense as a whole. It also serves as a harsh reminder as to why players will always — and should always — act on the side of caution when it comes to participating in training camp when they are seeking a new contract. In Slater's case, he's a lucky one because he just agreed to a new four-year, $114 million contract extension with $92 million in guarantees days before the injury happened. That contract was signed after he did not participate in some of the team's early training-camp practice sessions. If Slater had participated early on and had this injury happen before he was able to get his new deal signed, it would have been a devastating blow in his quest to get that pay day. Not only would the Chargers have had no incentive to pay him this season, but there is no guarantee he would have ever received that sort of contract in the future. Fans might not like the idea of a hold-out or hold-in, but you have to look at it from the perspective of the player. They have a very limited time to earn top dollar in the NFL, and there are never any guarantees. The hold-out/hold-in approach is not only a way to put pressure on the team to pay them, but it's also a matter of self-preservation. Football is a violent game. It's a physical game. It's a collision game. Injuries are always going to be a part of that. But injuries happen with much greater frequency early in the season, and especially in training camp, due to the fact that players are still working their way back into game shape and going through more intense and physical practices than they do at any point during the season. It's a dangerous time for them in terms of injuries, and that should not be overlooked when it comes to contract talks. Players have short careers and even less time to set themselves up financially. They should not be willing to take unnecessary risks when it comes to their earning power. The Slater situation shows just how delicate all of it is.
Dream Dealt Unfortunate News on Brittney Griner on Thursday
Neck pain isn’t usually headline news, unless it belongs to Brittney Griner. Atlanta Dream fans hoping for another dominant night on Thursday just had their mood checked. Griner is officially out again, and suddenly that winning streak feels a little more fragile. The Dream hit the road to face the struggling Chicago Sky, a team sitting at 8-21 and already missing rookie standout Angel Reese. But while the Sky limp into Wintrust Arena, the Dream aren’t walking in at full strength either. On Wednesday, the team ruled out Griner for a third straight game due to her lingering neck injury. According to the WNBA’s official injury report, she’s still not ready for game action. Griner’s absence is a blow. The nine-time All-Star has been averaging 10.6 points and 5.6 boards while shooting over 51 percent from the field this season. She signed with Atlanta as a free agent this offseason, helping turn the Dream into a serious contender after last year’s playoff sneak-in. But with their star center on the bench again, the Dream will have to get creative, and gritty. Brionna Jones, Naz Hillmon Set to Step Up With Griner out, Atlanta is expected to lean on Brionna Jones and Naz Hillmon to carry the frontcourt load. Jones, another offseason addition, has already started taking on a bigger role. The team will need her presence inside to stretch the Sky’s defense and crash the boards. It’s not all gloom, though. Griner’s "doubtful" tag before last week’s Mercury game was the same story, and she’s reportedly getting closer to a return. But Atlanta’s not taking risks with their veteran star, and they shouldn't. Still, with Rhyne Howard also sidelined due to a knee issue, the Dream are down two primary weapons. That makes Thursday’s game less about comfort and more about character.
Winners and losers from Eagles’ impressive preseason opening win over Bengals
The Philadelphia Eagles got off to a monster start to their Super Bowl-defending season as they took care of business against the Cincinnati Bengals 34-27 in the first preseason game of the 2025 season. Philly finished with 435 yards of total offense, and that was with most of the starters resting and not playing. The Eagles controlled the time of possession, holding the ball for over 31 minutes. The Eagles improve to 1-0 on the preseason thanks to multiple potential stars shining. There were some tough performances on the team, but plenty of good to be excited about for the rest of the preseason. Here are the winners and losers of the Eagles' win over the Bengals: Winner: QB Tanner McKee What a beautiful sight to see McKee dominate the Bengals' defense and never slow down with two and a half quarters played. He finished with 20 of 25 passes completed for 252 yards and two passing touchdowns, as well as one rushing touchdown. Outside of one almost interesting pass, he played a near-perfect game with Howie Roseman about to get his phone blown up with trade offers for him. Losers: CBs Adoree' Jackson and Kelee Ringo There's an understanding that the Eagles had their second-team defense against the Bengals' starters, but Jackson and Ringo looked out of place against Ja'Marr Chase. Jackson had some nice open-field tackles, but he and Ringo played real soft coverage on Chase, and he made them pay. Ringo had a nasty whiff on Chase's 36-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. Jackson and Ringo must play better if they want to be starters on this team. Winner: OC Kevin Patullo Patullo was not afraid to throw the football early and often with McKee, but he called as good a first half as a first-time play caller could have. Nice balance between run and pass, and calling great plays to set his receivers up. The real question is how different the play calling will be when Jalen Hurts and the starters are on the field. Losers: Eagles' Lack of Pass Rush Outside of one Ty Robinson sack, the Eagles did not have much of a pass rush. The edge rushers did not play as well as fans would have liked to see, with only two quarterback hits. That will be something that needs to be monitored in the next two preseason games. Winners: WRs Ainias Smith, Johnny Wilson, Darius Cooper All four of these players are competing for the final few spots on the roster, and their decisions have made it difficult for Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman. Undrafted rookie Cooper led the way with six catches for 82 yards and one touchdown. After a rough training camp, Wilson exploded with two contested catches and a back-shoulder catch that wowed fans as he finished with 73 yards. Smith caught a touchdown and had a 46-yard punt return, so good luck to the Eagles on making their final roster decisions.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
