Schedule for the 2026 World Championship confirmed – Austria open against Great Britain
In just under 270 days, the 2026 World Championship will get under way in Switzerland, with matches taking place in Zurich and Fribourg. Austria will play all their group-stage games in Zurich, facing Great Britain, Hungary, Latvia, hosts Switzerland, Germany, Finland and reigning world champions USA in that order. The Red-White-Red players will open their campaign on Saturday, 16 May 2026. For the ÖEHV selection, that means seven games in eleven days.
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From 15 to 31 May 2026, Switzerland will host the Men's World Championship for the eleventh time overall. After a total of 64 games, the 2026 world champions will be crowned on 31 May. USA enter the tournament as defending champions and will be Austria's final group-stage opponents on 26 May.
The World Championship will open in Zurich on 15 May with the fixtures Finland against Germany and USA against hosts Switzerland, a repeat of the 2025 World Championship final.
Austria will make their first World Championship appearance a day later, on 16 May. The ÖEHV selection will first face Great Britain, followed by Hungary on 17 May. After a rest day, they will continue with a double-header against Latvia and Switzerland. Following two rest days, they will face Germany and Finland, and our stars will also have a day to recover and prepare before the final group-stage game against USA.
Head Coach Roger Bader: "As usual, we take the schedule as it comes. Even though we reached the quarter-finals this year, staying in the top division remains our primary objective. We have an attractive group, want to play our best hockey in every game and be ready."
Tickets on sale from 8 September
Matchday packages will be available from Monday, 8 September 2025, at 12:00 on 2026.iihfworlds.com. Individual game tickets will go on sale in February 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
Great Britain vs. Austria
Sat, 16 May 2026, 12:20, Swiss Life Arena
Austria vs. Hungary
Sun, 17 May 2026, 16:20, Swiss Life Arena
Latvia vs. Austria
Tue, 19 May 2026, 16:20, Swiss Life Arena
Austria vs. Switzerland
Wed, 20 May 2026, 16:20, Swiss Life Arena
Austria vs. Germany
Sat, 23 May 2026, 20:20, Swiss Life Arena
Finland vs. Austria
Sun, 24 May 2026, 20:20, Swiss Life Arena
USA vs. Austria
Tue, 26 May 2026, 16:20, Swiss Life Arena
