The IIHF World Junior Championship is coming home. The 2027 tournament runs December 26, 2026 through January 5, 2027 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, the first time the event has been played on Canadian ice in two years. Hockey Canada and the IIHF announced the full schedule and ticket details on September 22, 2026, and individual tickets went on public sale September 25. Canada opens against Switzerland on Boxing Day at Edmonton's Rogers Place.
Key takeaways
- Tournament: December 26, 2026–January 5, 2027; Canada's preliminary games at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Group A at the Marchant Crane Centrium in Red Deer.
- Canada's schedule: Switzerland (Dec 26), Latvia (Dec 28), Norway (Dec 29), Czechia (Dec 31, a New Year's Eve matchup for the first time since 2020).
- Every game airs in Canada on TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada.
- Individual tickets went on public sale September 25, 2026 at 10 a.m. MT / 12 p.m. ET via Hockey Canada's official ticket page; semifinals (Jan 4) and medal games (Jan 5) are all at Rogers Place.
- Defending champion Sweden headlines Group A in Red Deer; Canada won bronze at the 2026 tournament in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The tournament basics
Two venues, two groups, eleven days. Canada plays its preliminary-round games at Rogers Place in Edmonton, home of the Oilers, while Group A plays at the Marchant Crane Centrium in Red Deer. The groups do not move between cities during the preliminary round, so a fan following Canada can plant themselves in Edmonton, while anyone tracking the United States or Sweden focuses on Red Deer, until the medal round, when everything shifts to Rogers Place.
Group B (Edmonton): Canada, Czechia, Latvia, Norway, Switzerland Group A (Red Deer): Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, United States
Sweden enters as the defending champion. The United States, back-to-back gold medallists in 2024 and 2025 before finishing fifth in 2026, and Canada, which took bronze at the 2026 tournament in Minneapolis and St. Paul (the country's first medal since the three-golds-and-a-silver run of 2020–2023), will both be hunting a return to the top step.
Canada's schedule: the four games that matter
Canada plays all four preliminary-round games at Rogers Place in Edmonton (times below in Eastern, with Mountain in brackets):
Date | Game | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
Saturday, Dec 26 | Canada vs. Switzerland | 7:00 PM (5:00 PM MT) |
Monday, Dec 28 | Canada vs. Latvia | 7:00 PM (5:00 PM MT) |
Tuesday, Dec 29 | Norway vs. Canada | 7:00 PM (5:00 PM MT) |
Thursday, Dec 31 | Czechia vs. Canada | 7:00 PM (5:00 PM MT) |
The New Year's Eve date against Czechia carries extra weight: it is the first time the two teams have met on December 31 since the 2020 tournament in Ostrava and Trinec. Boxing Day opens with Czechia vs. Norway at 2:00 PM ET, Sweden vs. Finland at 4:30 PM ET, then Canada vs. Switzerland, and the United States vs. Germany at 9:30 PM ET.
The medal-round path
Once the preliminary round wraps on December 31, the tournament funnels into single elimination:
- Saturday, Jan 2: Relegation game and all four quarterfinals (2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30 PM ET).
- Monday, Jan 4: Semifinals at Rogers Place, 5:30 and 9:30 PM ET.
- Tuesday, Jan 5: Bronze medal game at 5:30 PM ET, followed by the gold medal game at 9:30 PM ET, the traditional pinnacle of the holiday hockey calendar.
Everything from the semifinals on is exclusively at Rogers Place in Edmonton, in an NHL-calibre building in one of Canada's strongest hockey markets.
How to watch in Canada: TSN and RDS
Every game of the tournament will be broadcast on TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada's official broadcast partners, in English and French respectively. TSN's platforms carry the full schedule, which means cable subscribers can watch on TV and stream through TSN's app and web platforms; cord-cutters can pick up TSN's direct streaming subscription for the tournament window. French-language viewers get the same coverage on RDS.
For the NHL season around the tournament, our 2026–27 NHL season guide and how to watch NHL games in Canada cover the viewing landscape in detail.
One friendly warning, because this is the internet: the World Juniors attract some of the worst pirate-stream spam of any event on the Canadian calendar. Searches for free streams are dominated by malware and phishing sites. TSN and RDS are the legitimate Canadian broadcasters, if a "free stream" asks you to install anything or enter card details, it is not one.
Tickets: how the on-sale worked
Hockey Canada announced ticket details alongside the schedule on September 22, 2026. A presale ran September 23 at 10 a.m. MT (12 p.m. ET) for Priority List members and event stakeholders, and individual tickets went on public sale Friday, September 25, 2026, at 10 a.m. MT / 12 p.m. ET through Hockey Canada's official ticket page.
What that means now: the public sale has been underway for nearly two weeks. Premium inventory, Canada's preliminary games, the January 4 semifinal doubleheader, and the January 5 gold medal game, moves fastest and may already be resold at a markup. Check Hockey Canada's official ticket page first for primary-market inventory before turning to resale. Avoid buying from unverified sellers; tournament tickets for an event of this scale are a favourite target for counterfeiters.
If Edmonton is a stretch, Red Deer's Marchant Crane Centrium is the budget play. Group A games, including the defending champion Swedes and the United States, typically price lower than Canada's Edmonton dates, and the Red Deer building is small enough that there is genuinely no bad seat. Some fans split the trip: preliminary games in Red Deer, then up to Rogers Place for the medal round.
Players to watch (with a caveat)
Final rosters are not announced until December, and NHL clubs can pull eligible prospects, so everything below is "expected," not confirmed. Per NHL.com's tournament preview, Canada's talent pool could feature a cluster of recent top-ten draft picks, defencemen Carson Carels, Daxon Rudolph and Keaton Verhoeff, forwards Caleb Desnoyers, Caleb Malhotra and Brady Martin, plus Landon DuPont, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2027 NHL Draft, suiting up for Canada. One name notably not expected: Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft, who is expected to be playing in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For the U.S., Nashville prospect Wyatt Cullen and Seattle's Chase Reid are two names to know from a squad looking to rebound from a fifth-place 2026. Sweden, the defending champion, brings its usual conveyor belt of elite talent to Red Deer.
Practical next steps
- Mark the four Canada games now: Dec 26, 28, 29, 31, all 7:00 PM ET, plus the medal games Jan 4–5.
- If you're going in person, start at Hockey Canada's official ticket page; don't pay resale prices before checking primary inventory.
- Streaming-only? TSN's direct subscription covers the tournament window; RDS has you covered in French.
- Edmonton in late December is properly cold, if you're travelling to Rogers Place, plan for -20°C weather and holiday-season hotel prices.
- Bookmark the dailyfaceoff schedule page or Hockey Canada's tournament hub for game-time changes.
The bottom line
The World Juniors return to Canadian ice on Boxing Day, with Canada opening against Switzerland at Rogers Place, every game on TSN and RDS, and the gold medal decided the evening of January 5. Tickets went on sale September 25 and the best seats are already being contested, whether you're going to Edmonton or watching from the couch, the schedule above is everything you need to plan around.
Sources
- Hockey Alberta, Schedule and Individual Ticket Information Announced for IIHF World Junior Championship 2027 (Sep 22, 2026)
- TSN, Canada to open 2027 World Juniors vs. Switzerland on Boxing Day in Edmonton (Sep 22, 2026)
- Sportsnet, Canada to open world juniors against Switzerland in Edmonton (Sep 22, 2026)
- Daily Faceoff, Schedule unveiled for 2027 World Juniors in Edmonton, Red Deer (Sep 22, 2026)
- NHL.com, 2027 World Junior Championship schedule announced (Sep 22, 2026)
- TickPick, 2027 World Juniors Schedule, Tickets, and On-Sale Time
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
01
What channel in Canada?
TSN (English) and RDS (French), Hockey Canada's official broadcast partners, carry every game of the tournament. Cable subscribers can watch on TV and stream through TSN's app and web platforms; cord-cutters can pick up TSN's direct streaming subscription for the tournament window, and French-language viewers get the same coverage on RDS. One friendly warning: the World Juniors attract some of the worst pirate-stream spam on the Canadian calendar, with searches for free streams dominated by malware and phishing sites. TSN and RDS are the legitimate Canadian broadcasters, if a "free stream" asks you to install anything or enter card details, it is not one.
02
When do tickets go on sale?
The public sale already happened: individual tickets went on sale Friday, September 25, 2026, at 10 a.m. MT / 12 p.m. ET through Hockey Canada's official ticket page (after a September 23 presale for Priority List members). Premium inventory, Canada's preliminary games, the January 4 semifinal doubleheader, and the January 5 gold medal game, moves fastest and may already be resold at a markup, so check Hockey Canada's official ticket page first for primary-market inventory before turning to resale. Avoid unverified sellers, tournament tickets at this scale are a favourite target for counterfeiters. If Edmonton is a stretch, Red Deer's Marchant Crane Centrium is the budget play: Group A games typically price lower, and the small building has no bad seat.
03
Where is it held?
The tournament runs December 26, 2026 through January 5, 2027 across two Alberta cities: Canada plays its preliminary-round games at Rogers Place in Edmonton, while Group A plays at the Marchant Crane Centrium in Red Deer. The groups do not move between cities during the preliminary round, so a fan following Canada can plant themselves in Edmonton, until the medal round, when everything shifts to Rogers Place: the semifinals on Monday, January 4 and the bronze and gold medal games on Tuesday, January 5.
04
Who does Canada play?
Canada is in Group B alongside Czechia, Latvia, Norway and Switzerland, and plays all four preliminary games at Rogers Place in Edmonton, each at 7:00 PM ET (5:00 PM MT): Switzerland on December 26 (Boxing Day), Latvia on December 28, Norway on December 29, and Czechia on December 31. The New Year's Eve date against Czechia is the first time the two teams have met on December 31 since the 2020 tournament in Ostrava and Trinec. In Group A at Red Deer: Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States, with Sweden entering as the defending champion.
