All Systems Go For NHL Players' Return To 2026 Winter Olympics
After a 12-year absence, the stage is set for NHL players to return to the ice at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
On Wednesday, the key stakeholders gathered at the offices of the International Ice Hockey Federation in Zurich, Switzerland to finalize the agreement for Olympic participation between the NHL, NHL Players' Association, IIHF and the International Olympic Committee.
'This agreement will lead to the participation of all the best ice hockey players of the world in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 and the Olympic Winter Games 2030,' said IOC president Kristy Coventry. 'All the parties who were involved in coming to this agreement should be commended for this excellent result.'
The news follows the mid-June announcements of the first six players for each of the 12 participating countries as well as the detailed tournament schedule.
Here's what fans need to know:
Men's Hockey At The 2026 Winter Olympics
Dates: Feb. 11-22, 2026
Location: Milan, Italy
Tickets: available from milanocortina2026.org.
2026 Winter Olympics Hockey Tournament Format
The 12 participating teams are divided into three groups of four. Participation was determined through world rankings and qualifying tournaments. Teams from Russia and Belarus remain ineligible as part of the sanctions imposed following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In the preliminary round, teams will play the other three teams in their group to determine seeding. There will be two preliminary-round games on Wednesday, Feb. 11 and four games each day from Feb. 12-15. Game times will be at 6:10 a.m., 10:40 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. (all ET).
Four teams will advance directly to the quarter-finals: the top team in each group, and the next highest-ranked team.
The eight remaining teams will be seeded for a one-game qualification playoff, with all four games played Tuesday, Feb. 17.
From there, the four quarterfinal games will be played on Wednesday, Feb. 18, with the semifinals on Friday, Feb. 20. The bronze-medal game will be played on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2:40 p.m. ET and the gold-medal game will go Sunday, Feb. 22 at 8:10 a.m. ET.
2026 Winter Olympics Hockey Groups And First Six Players
2026 Winter Olympics Roster Sizes
Each team at the 2026 Winter Olympics will be permitted to carry a roster of up to 22 skaters and 3 goaltenders for a total of 25 players. That's two more skaters than were allowed at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Final rosters are expected to be announced by Dec. 31, 2025.
2026 Winter Olympics Women's Hockey Tournament
The women's tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics will feature 10 teams, divided into two groups. Games will be played at the same two arenas, from Feb. 5-19. The round robin will run from Feb. 5-10, with the quarterfinals on Feb. 13-14, the semifinals on Feb. 16, and both medal games on Feb. 19.
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