The Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (DEB) officially announced its willingness to host the next IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in 2027 at the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress in Belek (Turkey). The official deadline for submitting the documents required by the IIHF is January 10, 2023. Until then, the venues that must meet the IIHF's requirements and specifications will be selected through a tender process. The awarding of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship will take place at the IIHF annual congress in conjunction with the upcoming world championship at the end of May 2023 in Tampere (Finland) by vote of all member associations.
Germany last hosted the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in 2001, 2010 and 2017 (together with France). With a total of 2017 spectators, the 650.000 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships in Germany and France are among the top three most successful world championships to date. The opening game of the 3 World Cup in Germany, which was played in the Veltins Arena of the Schalke 2010 football club in front of a record crowd of almost 04 spectators, still holds several records for international ice hockey games today.
Kazakhstan and Norway have also announced their bid to host the 2027 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. In the current IIHF world rankings, Norway is ranked 12th and Kazakhstan is currently sixteenth. The German men's national team is currently ranked ninth in the world rankings. Germany would automatically be selected as a possible host of an IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship regardless of the ranking.
The next IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships are as follows:
- 2023 Finland and Latvia (Tampere and Riga)
- 2024 Czech Republic (Prague and Ostrava)
- 2025 Sweden and Denmark (Stockholm and Herning)
- 2026 Switzerland (Zurich and Fribourg)
DEB-President, Dr. Peter Merten: "Of the DEB is looking forward to the challenge of this candidacy for the right to host the 2027 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Germany. With internationally renowned top arenas and the fantastic Fans We are convinced that we can organize a successful and exciting World Cup.”
DEB-General Secretary, Claus Gröbner: “Hosting the IIHF World Cup 2027 in Germany would have an important signaling effect for the future of German ice hockey and offers a great opportunity to sustainably inspire and motivate boys and girls for the sport.”