Following the Men’s Olympic qualifications which took place in three different locations over the last weekend in Bratislava, Riga and Aalborg. Slovakia, Latvia and Denmark were able to qualify for the next 2026 Winter Olympic Games. 


Based on the results, the following groups will apply during the competition: 

 

Group A	Group B	Group C
Canada	Finland	Russia
Sweden	Germany	United States
Switzerland	Czechia	Slovakia
Italy	Denmark	Latvia

With respect to Russia’s participation, the IIHF would like to remind you that the following two alternatives will apply depending on the situation: 


1)    In the event that Russia participates in the tournament, the team will take part according to the pre-established ranking; 


2)    If Russia is not able to participate, France would be qualified for the Olympic Games as the second best placed team – according to the Combined Ranking from the three Final Olympic Qualification Groups played in August 24th, 2024.   


In case Russia is not allowed to participate, the groups would then appear as follows

 

Group A	Group B	Group C
Canada	Finland	United States
Switzerland	Sweden	Germany
Czechia	Slovakia	Latvia
France*	Italy	Denmark

*As France has qualified as the combined best second ranked team from the Final Olympic Qualification, it has been decided to grant them ranking 12th.