Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota to host 2026 World Junior Championship

As first reported by The Rink Live’s Jess Myers and later confirmed by the IIHF on Friday, the twin cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota are set to play host to the 2026 World Junior Championship from Dec. 26, 2025 until Jan. 5, 2026.

The tournament will be played at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul – home of the Minnesota Wild – and 3M Arena in Mariucci at the University of Minnesota. The Xcel Energy Center can hold 18,000 fans, while 3M Arena – which will be on break with the NCAA on break for the holidays – is able to host 10,000 people.

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers have four representatives at the WJC this year, all on the United States: forwards Jimmy Snuggerud and Oliver Moore, as well as defensemen Ryan Chesley and Sam Rinzel.

A joint Seattle/Everett bid is known to be one of the finalists for the event, with Vegas and Henderson also being one of the cities known to have shown serious interest.

It’ll mark a return to the state for the first time since Minneapolis co-hosted the 1982 event with Bloomington, Duluth, Winnipeg and Kenora. The United States last hosted the tournament in Buffalo in 2011 and 2018, with Grand Forks and Theif River Falls in 2005 being the only other cities to have hosted it in the 2000s.

After three years of being hosted in Canada, the 2024 edition took place in Gothenburg, Sweden. The 2025 edition will return back to north of the border, taking place in Ottawa. The Americans entered the medal round this year with five gold medals, tying them with Finland for third all-time behind Canada and Russia. USA last won gold in 2021, but made their mark as one of the top teams in the tournament as one of the most successful medal contenders from the past decade.