NHL rumors: World Cup of Hockey bombshell announcement coming at GM meetings

Jack Hughes and Megan Keller will be names remembered forever in the United States of America. Their goals in overtime of each gold medal game in the 2026 Olympics have been replayed plenty in the month since they happened. The NHL is capitalizing on the momentum, as Gary Bettman is set to make a World Cup of Hockey announcement from the GM Meetings on Monday.

“The NHL is expected to announce its World Cup of Hockey plans today after Day 1 of the GM meetings here in Palm Beach, Florida. The best on best event goes in February 2028,” TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported.

The 2028 World Cup of Hockey was first announced at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025. It is an initiative for the NHL to directly benefit from international best-on-best play. Before the 4 Nations, the 2016 World Cup was the most recent international best-on-best tournament.

The two things that Bettman could be announcing are a field of teams and host cities. According to NHL.com’s website, the World Cup of Hockey will “take place in North America and Europe with exact locations to be determined through a host city bid process.” No teams have been announced, which is only notable because of Russia’s inclusion. Bettman has previously said that they will not be invited if they are still banned by the IIHF.

Team Canada won the 4 Nations Face-Off, and Team USA won at the Olympics. A grudge match in February 2028 could be the sporting event of the year, as both teams will have loaded up with new talent by then. After the long wait for international play, fans have grabbed onto these tournaments and made them some of the most-watched games in recent history.

Which cities will host the World Cup of Hockey in 2028? Montreal and Boston were great hosts for the 4 Nations, so will they be back?

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