Which Eight Hockey Countries Could Appear In The 2028 World Cup?

The NHL wants eight teams in the 2028 World Cup, with the possibility of a qualifying tournament for the final spots. Aside from the locks, here are four more candidates.

Hockey fans have been begging for the return of best-on-best international tournaments for nearly a decade. With the 4 Nations Face-Off set to debut in 2025 and NHL players heading to the 2026 Olympics in Italy, the wait is nearly over.

Another piece of international hockey news was announced at the NHL's North American Player Media Tour in Las Vegas last week. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly mentioned eight teams will participate in the 2028 World Cup of Hockey.

Six teams will receive automatic invitations to the tournament, and Daly added the possibility of a qualifying tournament featuring four teams that will compete for the final two spots.

Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland are virtually guaranteed to appear. Russia has the on-ice talent to be a lock, but uncertainty remains about Russian in participation in competition as long as the country's invasion of Ukraine continues. 

“In large part, we would see where the international community is with respect to Russian participation in competition,” Daly said. “That won’t be a determining factor for us, but it would probably be somewhat persuasive at least depending on what the situation is.”

Here are four more national teams that should be considered for the final spots.

Czechia has consistently been a competitive nation at international tournaments. Winning gold at the 2024 IIHF World Championship on home soil highlighted the country's ascension to the top of the hockey world.

Czechia boasts a well-balanced roster of NHL talent on offense and defense, led by Boston Bruins superstar David Pastrnak, Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl, Carolina Hurricanes right winger Martin Necas and Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek.

Considering their recent success, Czechia feels like a no-brainer as one of the nations to be granted automatic entry. Their momentum and top-tier talent also give them a great chance to compete for a medal at the tournament in 2028.

Over the last 10 years, Germany has consistently risen as a hockey nation and projects to have a roster of current and emerging stars by the next World Cup.

Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl will provide game-breaking abilities Germany's national men's team has never had before. Joining him would be a young, talented offensive core of Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle, Buffalo Sabres left winger JJ Peterka and Chicago Blackhawks left winger Lukas Reichel.

On defense, 2022 Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider will undoubtedly anchor the back end, while Philip Grubauer and Nico Daws are the most likely candidates to compete for the starting role in net.

Their defensive weaknesses beyond Seider may be too difficult to overcome, but if Germany's young stars manage to hit their stride leading up to the World Cup, they could be an exciting team to watch.

The year 2022 was huge for Slovakian hockey. After winning a bronze medal at the Olympic games in Beijing, Montreal Canadiens left winger Juraj Slafkovsky and New Jersey Devils D-man Simon Nemec were selected first and second overall in the NHL draft later that year. 

Filip Mesar was also drafted 26th overall in the same draft, making it the first time three Slovakian players were taken in the first round. With a relatively small pool of NHL talent, Slovakia's young core will have to lead the way if they want to make any noise in 2028.

While Slovakia also lacks an NHL goaltender, KHL netminder Patrik Rybar has been remarkable on the international stage for his home nation. He had a .966 save percentage in six games during Slovakia's bronze medal run in 2022.

Switzerland's top talent stacks up against some of the world's best, led by perennial Norris Trophy candidate Roman Josi, New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier, Los Angeles Kings left winger Kevin Fiala and Devils power forward Timo Meier. 

However, their lack of depth in all positions makes it difficult to imagine they'll be very competitive against the top nations.

The Swiss finished as the runner-up to Czechia at the 2024 World Championship earlier this year and also finished second at the 2018 and 2013 tournaments. They've exceeded expectations in the past, but their roster may be too top-heavy to compete against deeper rosters.

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