While St. Paul and Minneapolis will provide the primary venues for the 2026 World Juniors, organizers talked from the get-go of efforts to make the tournament an event that celebrates hockey all across the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota.
Those efforts became more real on Thursday with the announcement that arenas in Bemidji, Duluth, Mankato and Rochester will host pre-tournament games in December.
While the specific schedule and ticket information will be revealed at a later date, WJC organizers said they expect teams from all 10 participating nations to play in what is being dubbed the World Juniors Pre-Tournament Series. The arenas will be the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Amsoil Arena in Duluth, the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato and the Rochester Rec Center.
“We are excited for the communities of Bemidji, Duluth, Mankato and Rochester to be part of the 50th edition of this iconic international hockey tournament,” Pat Kelleher, executive director of USA Hockey, said in a statement. “We know fans and volunteers in each community will take immense pride in welcoming the world, and we look forward to seeing the excitement build as the 10 teams prepare to compete for gold in the capital of the State of Hockey.”
The tournament, which involves the top male players aged 20 and under from around the world, begins on Dec. 26 and concludes with the gold medal game on Jan. 5. The participating nations are Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
Russia remains banned from participation in World Juniors and other international competition by the International Ice Hockey Federation due to the on-going war in Ukraine.
Xcel Energy Center will be the primary site, with 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis hosting other tournament games. This will be the third time Minnesota has been host to all or part of the tournament, with the Twin Cities serving as the primary site in 1982, and Thief River Falls, Minn., serving as the secondary site in 2005.
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