The 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I, Group A will be held from May 2 to 8, 2026, in Sosnowiec, Poland. Six teams will vie for promotion: France, Kazakhstan, Poland, Japan, Lithuania, and Ukraine. The International Ice Hockey Federation has published the game schedule and ticket prices. Single-game ticket sales will start on April 1, 2026.

The tournament will start on May 2 with the official opening game between Japan and France. On the same day, Lithuania will face Kazakhstan, and host nation Poland will play Ukraine. The game schedule is found below.

“It will be an ice hockey celebration. There will be good, close, exciting and high-level games to watch. Many teams, including us of course, want to advance to the elite. I have been the coach of GKS Tychy since October 2023, and I saw how Polish fans support the team and country. They are very patriotic, and the Polish National Team means a lot to them. Moreover, Poland is also a very hospitable country. The tournament looks promising“ — said Pekka Tirkkonen, coach of the Polish National Team.

Individual tickets will be available for purchase at 129 PLN and 89 PLN (reduced price) for each Poland game, and 59 PLN and 29 PLN (reduced price) for all other games. Single-game ticket sales will begin on April 1. Sales of season tickets valid only for Poland’s games will start on March 1. Tournament tickets will cost 560 PLN and 360 PLN (reduced price).

More information about the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I, Group A can be found at www.iihf.com and on the IIHF social media channels on Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads and TikTok.

2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I, Group A Game Schedule

Sosnowiec Arena

2 May (Saturday)

12:30 – Japan vs. France

16:00 – Lithuania vs. Kazakhstan

19:30 – Poland vs. Ukraine


3 May (Sunday)

12:30 – Kazakhstan vs. Japan

16:00 – Ukraine vs. Lithuania

19:30 – France vs. Poland

5 May (Tuesday)

12:30 – Lithuania vs. Japan

16:00 – France vs. Ukraine

19:30 – Kazakhstan vs. Poland

7 May (Thursday)

12:30 – France vs. Lithuania

16:00 – Ukraine vs. Kazakhstan

19:30 – Japan vs. Poland

8 May (Friday)

12:30 – Kazakhstan vs. France

16:00 – Ukraine vs. Japan

19:30 – Poland vs. Lithuania