2026-2027 IIHF World Junior Championship Schedule: Full Fixtures & Dates
The official schedule has now been released, and the IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship 2026-27 runs from December 26, 2026, to January 5, 2027, in Canada. Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, will jointly host this championship at two venues (Rogers Place and Centrium). Ten national teams will participate in this tournament, divided into two groups and competing in a round-robin format.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Dates | December 26, 2026 – Jan 5, 2027 |
| Host Country | Canada |
| Host Cities | Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta |
| Status | Official Schedule Released |
| Venue | Rogers Place, Centrium |
| Teams | 10 Nations, 2 Groups |
| Total Games | 29 + 2 Exhibition Games |
| Defending Champion | Sweden |
| Timezone | Mountain Time (MT) |
| Last Updated | Oct 13, 2026 |
This World Junior Ice Hockey Schedule 2026-2027 covers confirmed matches, including dates, times, and fixtures.
Is the complete schedule released yet?
Yes, the International Ice Hockey Federation has now confirmed a preliminary game-by-game schedule.
World Juniors 2026-2027: Next Match Date, Time & Teams
Full Game-by-Game Schedule & Fixtures
The Complete game-by-game schedule and fixtures for the 2026-27 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship have been released by officials now. The tournament will feature 31 games, including 2 pre-tournament exhibition games. All confirmed fixtures, match dates, timings, and venues are available below.
Saturday, December 26, 2026
Czechia
Norway
Sweden
Finland
Canada
Switzerland
USA
GermanySunday, December 27, 2026
Latvia
Czechia
Slovakia
Sweden
Switzerland
Norway
Germany
FinlandMonday, December 28, 2026
Slovakia
USA
Canada
LatviaTuesday, December 29, 2026
Switzerland
Czechia
Finland
USA
Norway
Canada
Sweden
GermanyWednesday, December 30, 2026
Norway
Latvia
Germany
SlovakiaThursday, December 31, 2026
Latvia
Switzerland
Finland
Slovakia
Czechia
Canada
USA
SwedenSaturday, January 2, 2027
Saturday, January 2, 2027
Monday, January 4, 2027
Tuesday, January 5, 2027
Group A
Group A will play its preliminary round at Marchant Crane Centrium in Red Deer. The current provisional lineup includes Sweden, the United States, Germany, Slovakia, and Finland. Sweden enters the tournament as the defending champion after winning a Gold Medal in Minneapolis last year. Here are the Group A teams.
Note: The organisers can swap two teams that are equally ranked before the tournament begins.
Group B
Group B will play all its preliminary games at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The current provisional lineup includes Canada, Czechia, Latvia, Switzerland, and Norway. Norway earned promotion to this group after a strong finish at World Junior Ice Hockey 2025-2026. Here are the Group B teams.
Note: Red Deer will host 14 games in this tournament.
Tournament format and game Stages
The 2026-2027 World Jr. Ice Hockey Championship follows the same format and structure as recent editions. Ten national teams will be divided into two groups and compete in their preliminary-round matches. Top-performing teams advance to the playoff round. After the playoffs, winning teams advance to the Championship or Gold Medal game.
Preliminary Round Games
Each team will play four preliminary-round games against other teams in its group. Top-performing teams will move toward the playoff round. Group A games will be in Red Deer, and Group B games will be played in Edmonton. Preliminary performances decide the quarterfinal opponent.
Playoffs: Quarter-finals and Semi-finals
Two quarter-finals will be played at Centrium in Red Deer. All other remaining playoff matches will be played at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Semifinal winners advance directly to the gold medal game on January 5. Semifinal losers will compete against each other in the bronze medal game.
Final & Gold Medal Game
The gold medal match and the final will be played on January 5, 2027, at Rogers Place Arena in Edmonton, Alberta. The bronze medal match between the two teams that lost their semifinals will be played that same day.
Pre-tournament and exhibition games
Two pre-tournament exhibition games take place before the official World Junior Championship 2027 starts. These matches help the coaching staff finalize rosters and test lineups. However, the exact matchups, dates, and times have not yet been officially confirmed.
Canada Team Confirmed Match Schedule
The Canadian team will play against Czechia & Switzerland in its two preliminary-round matches in Edmonton on December 26 and 31, 2026. These two dates fall on Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve this year. Hockey Canada has already confirmed both dates through its official ticket sales packages. Opponents for these two matches will be Czechia & Switzerland.
Comparison of the 2027 schedule with previous World Junior Championships
The U20 WJC 2025-26 was held in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. That edition also had 29 games, and Sweden won the gold medal. Here is a comparison between the 2026-2027 schedule vs previous junior championship.
| Detail | 2025–26 | 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | Dec 26 – January 5 | Dec 26 – January 5 |
| Host Location | Minnesota, USA | Edmonton and Red Deer, Canada |
| Host Venue | 1 Arena | 2 Arenas |
| Total Games | 29 | 29 + 2 Exhibition |
| Champion | Sweden | Pending |
Conclusion
The World Junior Championship 2027 runs from December 26, 2026 to January 5, 2027. All nations will play their preliminary-round games through December 31. Playoff opponents are still TBD until the preliminary round and the quarterfinals end.