Historic Start With 5,859 In Attendance In Ceske Budejovice
The crowd in Ceske Budejovice for game one of the 2025 IIHF World Championships - Photo @ Cesky Hokej
When host Czechia stepped on the ice in Ceske Budejovice, they did so in front of 5,859. It was the most attended opening game by a non-North American host team ever.
The attendance number was larger than any game (due to capacity limits) held since the gold medal game in 2019.
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Last year USA drew 3,920 fans for their opener in Utica, while Canada welcomed 3,510 fans to Brampton in 2023. The year prior, Frederikshavn, Denmark welcomed 1,496.
In 2019, 4,046 fans watched Finland's opener in Espoo. The only opening game for a tournament host to ever draw more than Czechia's opener was in 2014 as Canada saw 11,174 in attendance in Ottawa.
"It's amazing to see,' Czechia veteran Katerina Mrazova told the IIHF. "Women's hockey has been a little bit behind here in Czechia. So it's really great to see a lot of people show up to support us. It's been hyped before the tournament, before we even started. We really appreciate the fans."
With continued attendance throughout the tournament, Czechia could chase the all-time tournament attendance record. The nation set a new men's tournament record in 2024 drawing 797,727 to Prague and Ostrava. The women's record comes from 119,231 in Winnipeg and Selkirk. That year Canada drew 10,706 fans for their opening game.
On the opening day, Sweden and Germany's Group B game drew 4,207 fans, while Finland and USA saw 5,132 fans in attendance for an opening game total of 15,198.
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