NHL, NHLPA launch World Cup 2028 host process

The NHL and NHL Players' Association have launched their host city selection process for World Cup of Hockey 2028, officially marking the return of the international best-on-best tournament.

WCH 2028 will be an eight-nation tournament scheduled for February 2028. Unlike the last World Cup in 2016, which the 23-and-under Team North America and Team Europe for unaffiliated international players, this edition will only feature nation-specific teams.

The event is expected to feature round-robin and quarterfinal games in two host cities, with the semifinals and championship game currently anticipated to take place in one of those cities, "subject to final host city selection," according to the NHL. The tournament is expected to last 12 days with 17 games.

"The World Cup of Hockey is a showcase of international hockey at the highest level, and we are thrilled to begin the host city selection process for 2028," said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in a statement. "This tournament offers cities a chance to be part of something truly global, while delivering meaningful economic and cultural benefits in return."

The host city selection process is international in scope and "open to all cities with arena facilities that could meet NHL competition standards." The NHL and NHLPA will reach out to some potential sites, but the process is open to any bidder. The NHL is looking for cities that meet the baseline requirements for facilities but also "present a compelling and distinctive vision for the tournament."

The deadline for expression of interest pitches is July 18 for North America and July 30 for international markets. The NHL and NHLPA will determine which bids move on to the next phase. The Request for Proposal process launches in August 2025. Final host city selections are expected to be announced in Q1 of 2026.

"The World Cup of Hockey 2028 will bring together the best players in the world, representing their countries with pride," said Marty Walsh, Executive Director of the NHLPA. "We look forward to working with cities that want to help shape the future of international hockey and inspire a new generation of hockey fans."

This will be the fourth edition of the World Cup of Hockey, having been previously held in 1996, 2004 and 2016, which Team Canada won.

The World Cup's return is part of an aggressive expansion of the NHL's international calendar. Bettman has said the vision is to alternate between the NHL's participation in the Winter Olympic men's hockey tournament and a World Cup every two years. The NHL is participating in the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games, the first time its players will compete in the Olympics since the 2014 Sochi Games.

In the intervening years, the NHL and NHLPA are expected to present events that could resemble the 4 Nations Face-Off, their successful midseason tournament held last February in Boston and Montreal.

"We couldn't be more excited about making a reality: Olympics, World Cups, Olympics, World Cups on a regular schedule of the best hockey players in the world representing their countries," Bettman said in February. "We know the full-blown World Cup is going to be sensational."

There are some issues to be ironed out about World Cup of Hockey 2028, including how teams will qualify and whether Russia will be allowed to participate at all. Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has been banned from international play in all age categories by the International Ice Hockey Federation, a ban that has been extended through 2025-26.

"I'd love to see our Russian players playing in these tournaments again," Walsh said in February. "They're incredible hockey players. The issues are political. Not political as far as the NHLPA; it's world politics we have to get through. I'm hoping that as we get closer to the Olympics, closer to the World Cup, we will start seeing Russian athletes back in the competition."

The World Cup of Hockey will not involve the IIHF. It's expected the NHL may work with international leagues to fill out rosters for teams that don't have a full complement of NHL players. For example, there are only three Slovakian defensemen and one Swiss goaltender who appeared in NHL games last season.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan contributed to this report.