The 2027 IIHF Men’s World Championship will kick off with a clash between host nation Germany and reigning runners‑up Switzerland, scheduled for the opening night at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
A historic venue returns to the ice
Veltins-Arena, best known as the home of FC Schalke 04, features a retractable roof and a rich sports heritage. Its most memorable hockey moment came in 2010, when a historic game between the United States and Germany drew over 77,000 spectators, establishing a world‑record attendance for indoor hockey.
Matti Nurminen, director general of the International Ice Hockey Federation, underscored the symbolic weight of returning to Gelsenkirchen, noting that the venue’s legacy adds a unique chapter to the tournament’s narrative.
Beyond the opening fixture, the championship will spread across two additional host cities — Mannheim and Düsseldorf — where the bulk of the tournament’s games will be played. Group A will comprise Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Latvia, Austria, Slovenia and Ukraine, while Group B will feature Canada, the United States, Czechia, Slovakia, Denmark, Norway, Kazakhstan and Hungary.
All matches will be available to U.S. viewers through FloHockey, the streaming platform operated by FloSports, which has secured rights to broadcast every game of the 2027 edition.