When is it on?
11 February, 2026 - 22 February, 2026
Groups:
Group A: Canada, Switzerland, Czechia, France
Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy
Group C: United States, Germany, Latvia, Denmark
Teams with the four best records will gain an automatic ticket for the quarter-final. The remaining eight teams will go into playoffs in what’s termed the “qualification round.”
Teams play one game each against the other three teams in their group. Countries get three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime win, one for an overtime/shootout loss, and zero for a regulation loss.
When the preliminary round is complete, teams are seeded 1 through 12 under the following criteria: Higher position in the group, higher number of points, better goal difference, higher number of goals scored for, and better IIHF world ranking.
Venues:
Matches at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan will take place at two primary venues within the Milan suburbs: the brand-new Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. The Santagiulia arena is the main venue for final matches, while Rho hosts preliminary games.
Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena: Located in the Santa Giulia district, this new, state-of-the-art arena hosts the majority of high-profile matches, semifinals, and all medal games, with a seating capacity of approximately 14,000–16,000.
The Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena: As a temporary venue for the 2026 Winter Olympics, located in the Fiera Milano exhibition centre, the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena has a seating capacity of approximately 5,700 to 6,500.
Reigning champions:
Finland won its first-ever ice hockey Olympic gold medal in Beijing 2022 after going undefeated through the tournament and beating the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) in the final 2-1.
Slovakia claimed its first-ever ice hockey medal at the Olympics after defeating Sweden 4–0 and winning the bronze.
Canada leads the NHL era (1998 to 2014), having won gold in 2002, 2010, and 2014. The Czech Republic (1998) and Sweden (2006) won the others.
The USA took silver in 2002 and 2010. The last time the USA won gold at the Winter Olympics was in 1980 at the Lake Placid Games.
NFL players back at the Olympics:
For the first time since 2014, NHL players are back at the Olympics. As part of a joint agreement between the NHL, NHL Players Association, the International Ice Hockey Federation, and the International Olympic Committee announced last February, the league's biggest stars will take part in the 2026 Milan Cortina Games over the next two weeks.
Russia:
Russia and Belarus were banned from events organised by the International Ice Hockey Federation at every level since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including the 2026 Olympics. The IIHF has cited "security conditions" as the motivating factor.
Major dates in the tournament:
The men's qualification round playoffs are scheduled for 17 February, while the quarter-finals are set to be played the day after. The semi-finals are set for 20 February, with the losers set to compete for the bronze medal on 21 February and the winners playing for Olympic gold on 22 February.
Players to look out for:
Sidney Crosby, Juraj Slafkovsky, David Pastrnak, Leon Draisaitl, Lars Eller, Moritz Seider, William Nylander, and Matthew Tkachuk are just a few of the players expected to play a huge role for their respective countries at the tournament.