The 4 Nations Face-Off begins Wednesday, with the final taking place in Boston on Feb. 20. The 2016 World Cup of Hockey was held in Toronto. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEyODE0NzA3NzA5NDUzOTUy/usatsi_9575299_168400847_lowres.jpg] The 2016 World Cup of Hockey was held in Toronto. The NHL and NHL Players Association announced Wednesday the World Cup of Hockey will be return in 2028 [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-nhlpa-announce-2028-world-cup-representing-their-countries-on-the-ice-is-in-their-dna]. The last World Cup was in 2016, and the 2028 event will be welcome news for hockey countries who aren’t involved in the current 4 Nations Face-Off [https://thehockeynews.com/news/4-nations-face-off-predictions-jets-pair-should-propel-usa]. However, one thing that wasn’t announced Wednesday was the cities that will host World Cup of Hockey games. The NHL and NHLPA have yet to accept bids from cities to host World Cup games, but that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate which cities could and should be hosting games in 2028. While the 2016 edition only featured one host city for the official games, 10 cities hosted pre-tournament games, and the first two editions had games in a handful of countries. In the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, the host cities were: * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined And in the 1996 World Cup, the games took place in: * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined * undefined There could be plenty more cities not mentioned that make a bid and get to host matches, but here are some that come to mind for 2028. IN CANADA: VANCOUVER, TORONTO Toronto hosted every game during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. But with Montreal hosting the 4 Nations Face-Off, Toronto could have a great chance of getting hosting duties back in 2028. The city should have zero issues selling out games, and it repeatedly gets marquee NHL events, such as the 2024 and 2000 All-Star Games. A cosmopolitan city, such as Vancouver, also seems like a good fit. The 2010 Olympics in Vancouver featured some massive moments in the sport's history, especially the gold medal game between Canada and the USA. The crowd of 17,748 was the best-attended gold medal game in Olympic history, according to the IIHF [https://www.iihf.com/en/news/18254/10-facts-about-the-2010-olympic-final]. Ottawa hosted games in the 1996 tournament, including a quarterfinal and semifinal, at what is now the Canadian Tire Centre. However, the Ottawa Senators still need to finalize a sale of the land needed to build a new downtown arena, although the city had success hosting the 2025 world juniors at the current rink. As for some honorable mentions, Edmonton has hosted multiple world juniors tournaments at eight-year-old Rogers Place, while Calgary's new arena is scheduled to be ready for the 2027-28 season. Quebec City also hosted a pre-tournament game in 2016. Could they get a shot? IN THE UNITED STATES: CHICAGO, NEW YORK CITY Ideally, you want a high-profile event like the World Cup of Hockey to be played in a major media market. That's why Toronto is tempting in Canada and why Chicago and Manhattan make a lot of sense to host World Cup games three years from now. New York City and the Windy City are also Original Six cities, of course, and that should lead to more interest from die-hard fans and casual fans alike. Philadelphia and Madison Square Garden hosted games in 1996. The home of the New York Rangers underwent extensive renovations, while the Philadelphia Flyers plan to build a new rink to open in 2031, making a 2032 World Cup a better fit for them than 2028. If the idea is to spread out the 2028 games between Canada, the U.S., and countries in Europe – nothing's confirmed in that regard – we see only a couple of American cities getting the nod to host World Cup games. Minnesota has more than its share of hockey fanatics, but if Chicago hosts some games in 2028, Minnesota fans won’t have to travel far to get a taste of World Cup action. IN EUROPE: PRAGUE, BERLIN, STOCKHOLM, TAMPERE NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said at least eight teams will compete in the 2028 World Cup and there won't be a Team North America or Team Europe. This opens the door for Germany to return. Garmisch-Partenkirchen hosted Germany's home game in the 1996 tournament, but it holds fewer than 7,000 fans and was built for the 1936 Winter Olympics. The chance to play in Berlin, Germany's capital city, at Uber Arena is too appealing to turn down. It makes a lot of sense to capitalize on the NHL having German players in starring roles, such as Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, Moritz Seider and JJ Peterka. We can also see the NHL considering Stockholm, Prague and Tampere in 2028. Each city hosted Global Series games in the past two years. Helsinki is another option for Finland, although its biggest arena has been closed since February 2022 [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/02/helsinki-arena-russian-sanctions-reopen-spring-finnish] due to sanctions on Russian owners. It's reported to reopen this spring. In any case, the NHL should have more than enough excellent options in Canada, America and European countries to make the 2028 World Cup of Hockey a must-see event in those areas and across the planet. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEyMDk0MTI4NDI5NzM3OTYw/googlenews.png] Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum [https://thehockeynews.rtb.io/THNHOME/posts].
