The Men's national team of the German Ice Hockey Federation eV (DEB) last Wednesday in Mannheim for their fourth and final preparation phase for the IIHF World Championship 2026 The team has gathered. At the SAP Arena, head coach Harold Kreis's squad is preparing for their final test before departing for the World Championships on Monday. On Sunday, May 10, 2026, they will face... DEB-Selection of the incumbent Olympic champions and world champions USAThe game starts at 17 pm.
Note: There are currently no more tickets available for the game at the SAP Arena. Any remaining tickets (from returned tickets) will become available at short notice on Sunday. The match will be streamed live and free of charge at Magenta TV to see – at MagentaSport Included in the subscription.
Team USA arrived in Mannheim on Friday
Team USA arrived in Mannheim yesterday, Friday. The Olympic champions and reigning world champions are traveling with a roster of experienced NHL professionals, AHL players, and talented players from US college hockey. The North Americans also have several training sessions scheduled at the SAP Arena before their only World Championship preparation game on Sunday against the DEB-Complete selection.
For roster news, see USA Hockey: USA Hockey Roster Announcement
The USA will start the World Championship in Switzerland as defending champions: in 2025, the US team won their first world title in 92 years, followed by Olympic gold in Milan in February 2026. At the upcoming World Championship in Switzerland, the USA will be Germany's opponent in the preliminary round. The two teams will face each other in Zurich on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 (start time 20:20 pm).
Both the German national team and Team USA will travel from Mannheim to the World Cup venue Zurich next Monday morning.
Reactions to the international match against the USA
National coach Harold Kreis"The team has been working hard in training sessions this week. At the same time, we're still having fun in the locker room. We're very pleased with this progress. We expect the USA to come into the game with a lot of talent and speed. That makes it all the more important for us to play directly on offense and avoid unnecessary turnovers. If we stick to our system, we certainly have a chance to give the USA a run for their money and deliver a successful performance."
Goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer: "It's great to be back. The team has been together for a few days now, and everyone is really enjoying preparing for the World Championships in Zurich. Tomorrow, it's crucial that we put into practice in the game what we've been working on in detail during training. It's important that we continue to build confidence in ourselves and the system. We've already done that well in the past few phases, and we want to continue that in the game against the USA, who are, of course, another challenging opponent to conclude our preparations."
Striker Joshua Samanski: "It's great fun to be back in the locker room with the guys we've already experienced so much with on the national team. The first on-ice practice with the team today was good and strenuous. That's important so I can get back into the swing of things quickly. We're expecting a very fast-paced game tomorrow and we're looking forward to a packed arena. We want to win our Fans "Put on a good show and go full throttle."