# 2027 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships
The 2027 IIHF Men's Ice Hockey World Championship is the annual top-division world tournament for men's national ice hockey teams, scheduled to be held in [Düsseldorf](https://www.edgepedia.org/dusseldorf) and Mannheim, Germany, from 14 to 30 May 2027, with an opening game on 13 May at Veltins-Arena in [Gelsenkirchen](https://www.edgepedia.org/gelsenkirchen).[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo) • [2](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75396/opening_game_confirmed_germany_to_face_switzerland) Sixteen nations will compete in 64 games for the world champion's title.[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Host country | Germany, awarded with 102 votes at the 2023 IIHF Annual Congress over a rival bid from Kazakhstan[3](https://www.iihf.com/en/news/45067/and_2027_goes_to_%E2%80%A6) |
| Dates and venues | Düsseldorf and Mannheim, 14–30 May 2027; opening game 13 May at Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo) |
| Field | 16 nations, 64 games; the 14 highest-ranked nations from the 2026 championship plus promoted Ukraine and Kazakhstan[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo) |
| Group A (Mannheim) | Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Latvia, Austria, Slovenia, Ukraine[4](https://canada-central.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75120/iihf_world_championship_2027_announces_preliminary) |
| Group B (Düsseldorf) | Canada, USA, Czechia, Slovakia, Denmark, Norway, Kazakhstan, Hungary[4](https://canada-central.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75120/iihf_world_championship_2027_announces_preliminary) |
| Opening game | Germany vs Switzerland, 13 May 2027, 8:20 PM, at the 61,574-seat Veltins-Arena[2](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75396/opening_game_confirmed_germany_to_face_switzerland) |
| Final round | Semi-finals, bronze medal game, and gold medal game in Düsseldorf[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo) |
## Host selection and venues
The 2023 IIHF Annual Congress voted to award the 2027 championship to Germany, which received 102 votes in its secret-ballot contest against a bid from [Kazakhstan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kazakhstan). The tournament falls ten years after the last IIHF World Championship hosted by the German federation (DEB), which Germany staged together with France in 2017.[3](https://www.iihf.com/en/news/45067/and_2027_goes_to_%E2%80%A6)
Two arenas were named as official venues: the PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf, with a capacity of 13,284, and the SAP Arena in Mannheim, with capacity for 13,200 fans. Düsseldorf has a history of hosting IIHF World Championships going back to 1955, with further editions in 1975 and 1983; Mannheim last played host in 2010.[3](https://www.iihf.com/en/news/45067/and_2027_goes_to_%E2%80%A6) The Düsseldorf venue, marketed for the tournament as the Düsseldorf Dome, will also stage the final round games.[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo) • [4](https://canada-central.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75120/iihf_world_championship_2027_announces_preliminary)
## Teams and format
The 16-team field consists of the 14 highest-ranked nations from the IIHF World Championship 2026 and the two teams promoted from the 2026 Division I Group A tournament, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo) The two preliminary round groups of eight teams each are not drawn at random: they are formed according to the Šubrt, or snake, system based on the [IIHF World Ranking](https://www.edgepedia.org/iihf-world-ranking), distributing teams between the groups to create balanced seeding.[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo)
**Group A**, playing in Mannheim, groups host Germany with reigning world champion Finland, current runner-up Switzerland, Sweden, Latvia, Austria, Slovenia, and Ukraine.[4](https://canada-central.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75120/iihf_world_championship_2027_announces_preliminary) **Group B**, playing in Düsseldorf, contains Canada, USA, Czechia, Slovakia, Denmark, Norway, Kazakhstan, and Hungary.[4](https://canada-central.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75120/iihf_world_championship_2027_announces_preliminary) The preliminary round features a number of appealing matchups between neighboring hockey nations, among them Switzerland versus Germany, Finland versus Sweden, Denmark versus Norway, Czechia versus Slovakia, and Canada versus the United States.[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo)
## Schedule
The full schedule was unveiled at a press event at the Düsseldorf Dome on 7 September 2026. The tournament runs from 14 to 30 May 2027, with the opening game played one day earlier, on 13 May, at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen.[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo) The two public holidays of 17 and 27 May were taken into account, as were days without games on 26 and 28 May, when teams travel for the quarter-finals and semi-finals.[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo)
The opening game was moved out of the Mannheim group, so Mannheim will host 29 rather than 30 preliminary round games, and one of the venue's three-game days was removed.[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo) Matti Nurminen, Secretary General of the [International Ice Hockey Federation](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-ice-hockey-federation), described agreeing a schedule for a championship featuring 16 nations and 64 games as a major undertaking, and called the 2027 approval one of the fastest schedule approvals.[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo)
## Opening game
At the 61,574-seat Veltins-Arena, Team Germany will open the tournament against reigning runners-up Switzerland on Thursday, 13 May 2027, with the first puck dropping at 8:20 PM.[2](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75396/opening_game_confirmed_germany_to_face_switzerland) The arena last hosted a World Championship opening game seventeen years earlier, in 2010, when Germany defeated Team USA 2–1 in overtime.[2](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75396/opening_game_confirmed_germany_to_face_switzerland)
## Ticketing
Ticket sales began in phases. The first phase opened on 16 July 2026 at 12:00 PM, offering opening-game tickets, VIP venue packages, quarter-final day packages, and final round packages in Düsseldorf, with tickets starting at €39.[2](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75396/opening_game_confirmed_germany_to_face_switzerland) After the schedule was published, day tickets for the entire preliminary round went on sale for the first time via the official website, with registered fans receiving a 48-hour head start from 11 a.m. on 9 September before general advance sales began at 11 a.m. on 11 September.[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo) The cheapest day packages cost from EUR 69 in Düsseldorf and from EUR 79 in Mannheim, standing-room tickets are available on game days featuring Germany, and all tickets include public transport.[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo) • [5](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/static/75351/faq) Purchase limits apply: a maximum of six tickets per account for game days involving Germany and ten for other game days.[1](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo)
## Lower divisions
The 2027 championship program extends below the top division. Division I Group A is hosted in Tallinn, Estonia, from 1 to 7 May 2027, and Division I Group B in Targu Mures, Romania, on the same dates.[6](https://www.iihf.com/en/tournaments) Division III Group A is scheduled for Taichung City, Chinese Taipei, from 25 April to 1 May 2027, Division IV Group A in [Kuwait City](https://www.edgepedia.org/kuwait-city) from 20 to 26 March 2027, and Division IV Group B in [Kuala Lumpur](https://www.edgepedia.org/kuala-lumpur), Malaysia, with dates to be announced.[6](https://www.iihf.com/en/tournaments) A new playoff format determining promotion and relegation in head-to-head clashes on the final day is due to apply to all World Championship tournaments at all levels below the top division in the 2026–2027 season.[7](https://www.iihf.com/en/news/71225/iihf_to_trial_new_format_for_lower_division_tourna)
## References
1. [Schedule, ticket sales and anticipation: The IIHF World Championship Germany 2027 gathers momentum, IIHF (7 September 2026)](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75647/schedule_ticket_sales_and_anticipation_the_iihf_wo)
2. [Opening game confirmed: Germany to face Switzerland in the opening of the IIHF World Championship Germany 2027, IIHF (15 July 2026)](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75396/opening_game_confirmed_germany_to_face_switzerland)
3. [And 2027 goes to …, IIHF (26 May 2023)](https://www.iihf.com/en/news/45067/and_2027_goes_to_%E2%80%A6)
4. [IIHF World Championship Germany 2027 announces Preliminary Round Groups, IIHF (8 June 2026)](https://canada-central.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/news/75120/iihf_world_championship_2027_announces_preliminary)
5. [IIHF World Championship 2027 FAQ, IIHF](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2027/wm/static/75351/faq)
6. [IIHF Tournaments, season 2027, IIHF](https://www.iihf.com/en/tournaments)
7. [IIHF to trial new format for lower division tournaments, IIHF](https://www.iihf.com/en/news/71225/iihf_to_trial_new_format_for_lower_division_tourna)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Winter and ice sports › Ice skating sports › Figure skating › ISU figure skating championships › World Figure Skating Championships*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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