Schedule unveiled for World Juniors hockey tournament in Twin Cities

Originally posted on Bring Me The News | By Dustin Nelson | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 2:55 PM ET

The 2026 World Junior Championship will land in the Twin Cities this winter, and on Thursday, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) unveiled the schedule for the highly-anticipated tournament.

One of the biggest tournaments on the international schedule, the World Juniors puts the world's best 20-and-under players on ice in a showcase of the next generation of NHL stars.

The 29-game tournament starts on Dec. 26, with games slated for the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and the 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis.

The defending champion U.S. national team will be part of Group A in the opening round, along with Sweden, Slovakia, Switzerland and Germany. All of their group stage games will be played at Xcel Energy Center.

Meanwhile, Group B, which features Canada, Czechia, Finland, Latvia and Denmark, will play group stage games at Mariucci.

The complete schedule can be found on the IIHF website. Here is the U.S. and Canadian group stage schedule:

Dec. 26: USA vs. Germany at Xcel Energy Center, 5 p.m.
Dec. 26: Czechia vs. Canada at 3M Arena at Mariucci, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 27: Latvia vs. Canada at 3M Arena at Mariucci, 3:30 p.m.
Dec. 27: USA vs. Switzerland at Xcel Energy Center, 5 p.m.
Dec. 29: Slovakia vs. USA at Xcel Energy Center, 5 p.m.
Dec. 29: Canada vs. Denmark at 3M Arena at Mariucci, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 31: USA vs. Sweden at Xcel Energy Center, 5 p.m.
Dec. 31: Canada vs. Finland at 3M Arena at Mariucci, 7:30 p.m.

After the group stage, the top four teams in each group advance to the knockout round. Quarterfinal games will continue to be divided between the two arenas.

The final two rounds, including the Jan. 5, 2026 championship, will take place at Xcel Energy Center.

Team USA, coached by Minnesota native and University of Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko, will look to go for a third straight title on the heels of the program's first-ever back-to-back wins at the tournament.

The 2026 World Junior Championship will be the seventh time the U.S. has hosted the tournament and the first time games will be held in Minnesota since the U.S. co-hosted the tournament with Canada in 1982.

Tickets for all games are on sale now.

This article first appeared on Bring Me The News and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: