ÖEHV Head Coach Roger Bader: "We want to perform well again in Switzer­land!"

At the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland from 15 to 31 May 2026, Austria's men will face the hosts, the USA, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Hungary and Great Britain in Group A in Zurich.

On the road to Zurich, the ÖEHV selection will once again complete a strong preparation programme, beginning with the traditional Deutschland Cup in November, where Austria will play warm-up games against Latvia and Slovakia in addition to the match against hosts Germany.

The February break will be followed by a Four Nations Tournament featuring Denmark, France and Norway, before the final World Championship preparation campaign begins in April 2026.

Head Coach Roger Bader has a clear objective for the World Championship in his native Switzerland following the 2025 quarter-final and the best World Championship since 1994, but he also wants his players to keep their feet on the ground in 2026: “The past two World Championships have been extraordinary and far exceeded expectations. Nevertheless, we must remain humble. We know where we come from. We want to keep developing year after year and perform well again in Switzerland.”

World Championship preparation

Deutschland Cup (AUT, GER, LAT, SVK), Landshut, GER, 03 to 09.11.2025
Four Nations Tournament (AUT, DEN, FRA, NOR, TBD., 02 to 08.02.2026)
World Championship preparation, April, May 2026

2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship

15 - 31 May 2026, Switzerland

Defending champions: USA

Group A, Zurich: USA, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Austria, Hungary, Great Britain
Group B, Fribourg: Canada, Sweden, Czechia, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway, Slovenia, Italy