Italy is fighting to avoid relegation in Fribourg. © FISG - Diego Barbieri - Laura Malvarosa

Stars, facts and Italy's opponents at the Ice Hockey World Championship

The Ice Hockey World Championship begins in Switzerland on Friday. Italy's national team enters the tournament on Saturday in Fribourg with a match against top favorite Canada (4:20 p.m.). SportNews answers the most important questions ahead of the championship.

12 May 2026

From: Leo/dpa

Where is the game played?

The World Championship will be held in Zurich and Fribourg. Switzerland will play in Group A in Zurich. Group B, which includes Italy and record world champions Canada, will play its matches in Fribourg in western Switzerland. Each city will host two quarter-final matches after the group stage. The semi-finals, the bronze medal match, and the final will take place in Zurich.


What is the mode?

The preliminary round will be played in two groups of eight. The top four teams from each group will qualify for the quarterfinals and continue in a knockout format. The two teams with the lowest point totals will be relegated. Only Germany, as host of the 2027 World Cup, is protected from potential relegation to the second division.

Tommaso De Luca and Tommy Purdeller are expected to score important goals. © UK Ice Hockey

What are the prospects for Italy?

After their promotion last season, the Azzurri have only one goal: to avoid relegation. If they succeed, Tommaso De Luca and his teammates will have achieved their objective. However, the task is far from easy, especially since key players are missing in Fribourg. Swiss-based players Diego Kostner and Giovanni Morini are unavailable, as is Damian Clara. As the third-string goalie for the Anaheim Ducks, currently competing in the NHL semifinals, he has not yet received clearance from his team. Furthermore, captain Thomas Larkin has retired from hockey.


Who are Italy's group stage opponents?

Jukka Jalonen's team will face Canada in their opening match. The following day, they will play Slovakia. The Czech Republic and Sweden are two other group opponents against whom the Blue Team will be looking to limit the damage. Matthias Mantinger and his teammates have an outside chance against Norway and Denmark. Their main relegation rival is Slovenia. The match against their eastern neighbor will take place on May 25th, concluding the tournament.

What are Roman Josi & Co. capable of? © AFP / PIERO CRUCIATTI

Who are the favorites?

Based on their roster, record champion Canada appears to be the top contender for the title. However, the Maple Leafs have failed miserably in the past two years. World and Olympic champion USA is traveling to Switzerland with an almost entirely new team. Sweden and Finland are also consistently among the medal contenders. For host nation Switzerland, it remains to be seen whether the dismissal of popular coach Patrick Fischer a month before the World Championships will have any repercussions. The coach, who led the Swiss to the finals in 2024 and 2025, admitted to using a forged vaccination certificate for the 2022 Olympics. He was subsequently dismissed.


Which stars are there?

The number of participating top stars has decreased at the first World Championship since the Olympics. Olympic gold medalist Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers) is on the US team. Canada will be without Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), but Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks) will be there. Germany's Moritz Seider is now also considered an outstanding player in the hockey world. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton) and Tim Stützle (Ottawa Senators) are absent. The Czech Republic, the 2024 World Champions, will also have to do without their top star: David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins) has withdrawn. Finland's Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers) will make his season debut after recovering from a torn ACL.

The superstar of the World Cup: Macklin Celebrini © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GEOFF STELLFOX

What else is important at the World Cup?

Because of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus remain excluded from the championships.


Where will the next World Cup take place?

Germany will host the 90th Ice Hockey World Championship in 2027. Mannheim and Düsseldorf will be the two venues. The last time Germany hosted the Ice Hockey World Championship was in 2017, when the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) co-organized the tournament with France.