At the last Olympic final qualification, host Latvia (pictured) edged France 2-1 to make the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. Which men's national teams will advance this time?
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation
Who will punch their tickets to Milan? Hockey fans worldwide are full of anticipation as the 2026 men’s final Olympic qualification is set for 29 August to 1 September. Twelve teams will compete in three European cities, with three spots in the next Winter Games at stake.
Back in 2021, Slovakia, Latvia, and Denmark – for the first time ever – qualified for the 2022 Beijing Olympics with perfect 3-0 records in their respective round-robin tournaments. Yet with the increasing parity in international hockey, there is no guarantee that any of those nations, each hosting an Olympic qualifier, will advance again. The drama is real.
Live streaming of games is available on IIHF.com (not available in some territories). Right now, let’s analyze how each group is shaping up.
Back in 2021, Slovakia, Latvia, and Denmark – for the first time ever – qualified for the 2022 Beijing Olympics with perfect 3-0 records in their respective round-robin tournaments. Yet with the increasing parity in international hockey, there is no guarantee that any of those nations, each hosting an Olympic qualifier, will advance again. The drama is real.
Live streaming of games is available on IIHF.com (not available in some territories). Right now, let’s analyze how each group is shaping up.
Group D (Bratislava)
ScheduleTeams: Austria, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Slovakia
The Slovaks were sad to finish ninth when they hosted the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. However, their historic 2022 Olympic bronze medal has coach Craig Ramsay’s team shooting for a better fate this time at Ondrej Nepala Arena.
With 2022 Olympic MVP Juraj Slafkovsky (Montreal) out with back issues, favoured Slovakia will rely offensively on veteran forwards like Tomas Tatar (New Jersey) and Marek Hrivik (Leksands IF). Defenceman Simon Nemec (New Jersey), drafted second overall after Slafkovsky in 2022, has the makings of an effective power play quarterback.
Arguably, this is the “group of death,” as each Group D nation has competed in at least one top-level Worlds in the 2020’s, unlike E and F.
The Austrians took points from Finland and Canada at the 2024 Worlds and can’t be discounted with talented youngsters like forward Marco Kasper (Detroit) and defenceman David Reinbacher (Montreal). However, not having sniper Marco Rossi (Minnesota) is a blow. The crafty, veteran-laden Kazakhs have stayed in the top Worlds division for four straight years, and Hungary’s fighting spirit is buoyed by its always-vocal travelling fans.
Group E (Riga)
ScheduleTeams: France, Latvia, Slovenia, Ukraine
Only once in the 21st century has Latvia missed out on men’s Olympic hockey (2018). The host nation has recent positive energy to build on, including its first-ever World Championship medal, a bronze in Tampere (2023). Backstopped by goalie Arturs Silovs (Vancouver), the 2023 MVP, and led by veteran captain Kaspars Daugavins, the ever-cohesive and passionate Latvians will be hard to stop.
France, which ranks 14th in the IIHF World Ranking to Latvia’s 10th, is in the mix too. But Les Bleus haven’t cracked the top 10 at a Worlds since co-hosting with Germany in 2017 (ninth). And a 9-0 exhibition loss to Norway on 24 August – despite the presence of experienced NHL attackers like Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (Seattle) and Alexandre Texier (St. Louis) – does not inspire confidence.
The plucky Slovenians, who have just 97 registered male players, will be hard-pressed to qualify for their third Winter Games (2014, 2018) without L.A. Kings superstar Anze Kopitar. Ukraine, 27th in the World Ranking, deserves full credit for making it this far despite the Russian invasion, but has only made one Olympics (2002) and is a clear underdog.
Group F (Aalborg)
ScheduleTeams: Denmark, Great Britain, Japan, Norway
In an all-out bid to go to Milan, Denmark will ice its NHL stars under coach Mikael Gath. That includes starting goalie Frederik Andersen (Carolina), two perennial 20-goal scorers in Nikolaj Ehlers (Winnipeg) and Oliver Bjorkstrand (Seattle), and two-way veteran Lars Eller (Pittsburgh), who got the 2018 Stanley Cup winner for Washington.
Scandinavian rival Norway, which blanked the Danes 2-0 at this year’s Worlds, could spoil the host nation’s party. Coming off his first Worlds since 2019, captain Patrick Thoresen (Djurgarden), 40, appears rejuvenated, while all-time Norwegian NHL leading scorer Mats Zuccarello (Minnesota) is hungry to make his third Olympics (2010, 2014). Top NHL prospects like Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (Skelleftea) and Stian Solberg (Farjestad) offer more hope with skill and physicality
Japan, an Olympic no-show since hosting in Nagano in 1998, and Great Britain, whose Winter Games drought stretches back to 1948, could play spoilers but are unlikely to advance.