The World Cup of Hockey is set to return in 2028.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Wednesday that the international tournament would be returning in 2028 and would begin rotating every two years with the Olympics, meaning it would return again in 2032.
Host cities have not yet been determined, but Bettman indicated that the NHL and NHLPA are soliciting bids from cities to host the tournament, and are hoping to receive bids from European cities. Bettman noted he expects the tournament to take place in February with games being played on NHL-sized rinks and using NHL rules.
With these plans in place, the 4-Nations Face-Off which gets underway Wednesday evening will serve as a primer for the upcoming best-on-best international tournaments of the future. Bettman has been steadfast in his desire to have a best-on-best international tournament every two years.
The World Cup of Hockey was last played in 2016, when it was hosted by the city of Toronto. Team Canada were the victors, defeating Team Europe in the final which was played in a best-of-three format. Bettman indicated that there will be at least eight teams in the field for the 2028 edition.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Announces Plans for 2028 World Cup of Hockey.
