Will there be a World Cup soon in the Sparkasse Arena? © Vanna Antonello

30 years later: Bolzano wants an Ice Hockey World Cup again

Will South Tyrol's ice hockey fans be allowed to experience an ice hockey world championship right on their doorstep next year? In any case, Bolzano has applied to host the event and the decision will be made next week.

19 May 2023

From: det

Last year, Bruneck had put out feelers for the B World Cup, which is officially called the World Cup of the 1st Division, Group A, with the Intercable Arena. At that time, the British city of Nottingham was given preference. Now Bolzano is making an attempt: The Italian ice sports association FISG has sent the Sparkasse Arena into the race as a candidate for the B World Cup. The decision will be made at the congress of the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF between May 25th and 27th in Tampere (Finland).

In any case, a long dry spell would come to an end for Bolzano. The last time a Senior World Championship took place in Talferstadt was in the distant year of 1994, at that time it was still the A World Championship.

The competitor is Budapest

The only competitor for the B-WM 2024 is Budapest. In any case, it would be a great opportunity for Italy's national team to return to the premier ice hockey league in front of a home crowd. The Blue Team missed out on promotion to the Top Division just a few weeks ago after disappointing performances in Nottingham.

“I am convinced that we have a good chance,” explains Marcello Cobelli, who is responsible for the ice hockey sector in the Italian Ice Sports Association. “The Sparkasse Arena has a good structure (6800 seats), is modern and is well connected to both the city center and the hotels.”