Twin Cities to host 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - USA Hockey announced this morning that the Twin Cities area will host the 50th edition of the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Hockey Championship in 2026.

The Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul and 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis will host the ten-nation tournament featuring the best men’s players under 20 years of age. A total of 29 games will be played between Dec. 26, 2025 and Jan. 5, 2026.

“Minnesota is thrilled to host the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship - another major sporting event that brings excitement and an economic boost to the state,” said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming teams and fans from across the globe and showing everyone what it means to be the State of Hockey.”

This will the second time the Twin Cities has hosted the tournament after the metro area hosted in 1982. Grand Forks hosted the tournament in 2005.

Information about tickets the 2026 tournament can be found on the Minnesota Sports and Events webpage.