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Calgary, Scotia Place on short list to host 2028 World Cup: report
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Ryan Pike
Mar 1, 2026, 21:52 ESTUpdated: Mar 1, 2026, 22:09 EST
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In two weeks, the National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association are expected to jointly announce the host cities for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey.
Two cities are expected to be named: one in North America and one in Europe.
Based on what we’re hearing from Sportsnet’s Eric Francis, could Calgary and its new arena, Scotia Place, be the North American host?
On Sunday evening, during the Flames’ clash with the Anaheim Ducks, Francis reported that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly will be visiting Calgary on Monday for a tour of the arena construction site and a meeting with Flames ownership.
Gary Bettman is coming to Calgary on Monday for a site visit of Scotia Place.
Could an announcement that Calgary will host the 2028 World Cup of Hockey soon follow?
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly told Sportsnet he will join the commissioner for a sit-down with ownership, a tour of the arena’s construction site and an update on the building’s progress.
Francis also reported that is on the short list to host the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, which would take place in February 2028.
The 2028 edition is expected to mirror the structure of its last instalment in 2016. That event featured eight national teams organized in two pools of four teams, with both pools playing out of Toronto’s Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena). The 2028 edition would likely have one group in Europe and the other in North America, with the knockout games all taking place in the North American city.
Scotia Place is slated to open in 2027, in time for the 2027-28 NHL season, and the World Cup of Hockey would take place a few months into the inaugural season at the facility. The nice thing about Scotia Place is the existence of the Esso Community Arena, a dedicated practice rink which could be used concurrently with a tournament on the main arena sheet. It also features several large locker rooms, so all four hypothetical World Cup teams could be in the rink at the same time without having to move around.
The Saddledome opened in 1983 and hosted games in the 1984 Canada Cup and 1987 Canada Cup, in advance of hosting the 1988 Winter Olympics. The ‘Dome has not hosted too many big events in recent years, though, most recently hosting the World Junior Championship in 2012. The NHL tends to steer some of their big events towards new arenas as a way to showcase markets with new buildings, so this would very much fit how they tend to operate.
Coincidentally, when we spoke with Calgary mayor Jeromy Farkas recently, he alluded to the city becoming a contender for major events when Scotia Place opened. He may have been speaking more broadly than just sporting events, but it makes you think…
We’ll see what is revealed about the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, and its host cities, in the coming weeks.

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