Ukraine, Great Britain, Japan advance to final men’s Olympic hockey qualification
The field is almost set.
After the third round of 2026 Olympic pre-qualification events this past weekend, Ukraine, Great Britain, and Japan advanced to the final qualification stage, which will take place from August 29 to September 1, 2024.
The three teams advanced after winning their respective tournaments this past weekend, held in Poland, Great Britain and Hungary.
NHL participation was confirmed for the 2026 Winter Olympics last month, but none of the three teams that advanced this past weekend currently have players in the league.
Ukraine was the third-ranked team in Group J, with their win over Estonia on the final day helping them to advance. Ukraine is the 27th-ranked men’s national team in IIHF play, with Korea (21st) and Poland (22nd) ranking ahead. This is the first time Ukraine has advanced to the final qualification event since 2013, with the nation hoping to participate in the main event for the first time since 2002.
Meanwhile, GB had a perfect weekend, capping the tournament off with a 7-4 win over Romania. It’s been a good few years for Great Britain, who is set to return to the top division of the IIHF men’s World Hockey Championship in Czechia this year after winning Division IA on home ice last year. It’ll mark the team’s fourth trip to the top tournament since 2019, having not been in the tournament previously since 1994. Britain won gold at the 1936 Olympics in Germany but hasn’t participated since 1948.
Japan is looking to advance to the Olympics for the first time since hosting the event back in 1998. Japan went a perfect 3-0, just edging out Hungary with a tight 2-1 victory on Saturday to secure gold. Japan has made the Olympics on eight occasions, finishing no better than eighth back in 1960.
The winner of each of the final three qualification tournaments will advance to the main event in Italy in 2026.
The Olympic qualification groups are based by the 2023 IIHF men’s world rankings. Three spots are up for grabs in the final Olympic qualification tournament later this summer, with Canada, Finland, Sweden, Germany, USA, Switzerland, Czechia and host Italy all confirmed for the 2026 tournament.
Russia is currently listed as a participant but is banned from IIHF competitions in 2024. The nation has not officially been ruled out of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, while Belarus is scheduled to compete in the Group D qualification tournament in Slovakia in August.