NHL players to return to the Winter Olympics in 2026; play in new 4 Nations Face-off next year

TORONTO — It’s official. The best players in the world are returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, alongside International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) president Luc Tardif, and NHL Players’ Association executive director Marty Walsh, announced on Friday that NHL players will be participating in the 2026 and 2030 Olympics.

“We made it,” Tardif said, adding that it was a “team effort.”

“This agreement is really important because first of all its IIHF and NHL, so that means our goal is trying to grow the game all over the world [and] bring the best on best players and what is a more important competition than the Olympic Games. I think this news will make happy the young players who will have in front of them at least two Olympic Games and why not [20]34 Because it will be in an ice hockey place”

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Italy’s Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo will serve as the host cities for the Games being held Feb. 6-22, 2026. The official host city has not yet been named for 2030 but Tardif revealed the ice hockey competition will be held in Nice, France. The 2026 Games will mark the sixth time NHL players will compete; the last time coming in 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

“We know how important international competition is to our players. We know they love and want to represent the countries from which they’re from,” said Bettman. “We think this is a great stage for the best on the best, in the best sport.”

In the recent past, who would pay the bill, injury concerns and insurance, and the NHL’s lack of access to the video content have proved obstacles to getting NHL players at the Winter Olympics.

“The discussions are constructive and positive enough that we think we’ll have enough content access better than we’ve had in the past,” added Bettman.

There were also questions over whether the arena in Italy would be built on time but Bettman’s worries seem to have subsided at least somewhat.

“We have been given assurances that the building will be ready and we’re relying on those assurances. But there’s a lot of construction that remains to be done on that building. I think they only recently started. But we’re being told by everybody not to worry, but I like to worry. So well see.”

Finally, will best on best mean the return of Russia? Russia, alongside Belarus, have been banned from international competition since 2022 due to the nation’s war with Ukraine. One of the top five hockey-playing nations in the world, the reinstatement of Russia would mean the inclusion of stars like Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov, Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov, and New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. Per Tardif, there will be a decision by the council in the coming week about whether the nation will be reinstated and earn automatic qualification based on their ranking, reinstated and forced to qualify through the qualification tournament, or remain banned.

Fan won’t have to wait until 2026 for the next international tournament though. The NHL announced a 2025 four-team tournament called the “4 Nations Face-Off” that will feature the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland. The tournament will run from Feb. 12 to 20 in 2025, and will be held in two North American cities, one in the U.S. and the other in Canada. There will be no All-Star game next season.

“NHL players are the best players in the world who crave competition as an opportunity to measure their game against their peers,” said Walsh. “This marks a new era for international hockey, which will start with NHL players from our four strong hockey nations competing against one another in a midseason tournament, and we have no doubt they’ll produce exceptionally compelling hockey for fans and stakeholders all across the world”

Each team will be comprised of 23 NHL Players (20 skaters, 3 goalies) selected by each National Association: Hockey Canada, Finnish Ice Hockey Association, Swedish Ice Hockey Association, and USA Hockey. Players must be under an NHL contract for the 2024-25 season and on an NHL roster as of Dec. 2, 2024. All roster announcement dates will be made by the NHL and NHLPA, with each of the participating National Associations selecting its initial six players this summer, prior to selecting its complete rosters later in the year.

All games in the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off will be played with NHL rules. Each team will play three tournament games in a traditional Round Robin format, under the following points system: 3 points for a win in regulation time; 2 points for a win in overtime/shootout; 1 point for a loss in overtime/shootout; and 0 points for a loss in regulation time. The two teams with the best tournament record will then advance to a one-game final.

The overtime format for Round Robin games will be three-on-three sudden death for a 10-minute period, followed by a three-round shootout. The overtime format for the one-game Final will be full-strength sudden death through successive 20-minute periods until one team scores.

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The tournament will begin a new rotation of international best-on-best tournaments with the Olympics in 2026 and 2030 and the return of the World Cup in 2028 and 2032. At Friday’s announcement, each nation was represented by a current All-Star: Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for Canada, Toronto’s Auston Matthews for the U.S., Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson for Sweden, and Carolina’s Sebastian Aho for Finland.

“Yeah, it’s just the opportunity to do that is a dream come true,” said McDavid. “You know, obviously, I’ve been vocal about this. I feel like it’s important for hockey as we continue to try to grow our game internationally and at home. You know, I think it’s a great thing. It’s an exciting schedule, something that people can look forward to, you know, every two years, every second year.”

“It means a lot, obviously, you know, at any level to represent your country. It’s, it’s a big honor,” said Matthews of representing the U.S. for the first time as a pro. “So, you know, at a world stage like the Olympics, or the Four Nations Cup, competing against the best players in the NHL in their respective countries, I think it’d be great for the players. And obviously great for the sport and the fans.”

Rasmus Ristolainen (Finland), Travis Konecny (Canada), Sean Couturier (Canada), Joel Farabee (United States), and Sam Ersson (Sweden) are among the Flyers who could be in contention for next year’s tourney.