According to the original plans, Russia was to host Russia next year, but lost it due to the invasion of Ukraine. Finland and Latvia were the only candidates who expressed interest in replacing St. Petersburg. Slovenia also considered the candidacy together with Hungary, but its union did not obtain government guarantees and withdrew from the candidacy at the beginning of the week.
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The championship will take place twice in a row in Tampere, this year’s championship is organized by Finland and is also played in Helsinki. As this year, medal matches should take place in the new Nokia arena next season.
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“It is a privilege and we are grateful to be able to host the 2023 World Cup together,” said Harri Nummela, president of the Finnish Hockey Association, on the IIHF website. “We are happy for the trust we have gained and we are ready to organize the championship with the best conditions for the teams and the best atmosphere for the fans,” added the head of Latvian hockey Aigars Kalvitis.
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5 on 5 – Evaluation of the quarterfinal match with Germany in the show PŘÍKLEP EXTRA.Video: Sport.cz
The top hockey tournament was held in Riga last year, given the covid situation but without the presence of spectators in the arenas or only with a limited number of them. For the third time in history, the World Championships should take place in the Riga Arena, which has a capacity of 9,550 spectators. Up to almost 12,000 fans can come to Tampere in one match. The two cities are 501 km apart. Teams that will have to move to the quarterfinals will have a seventy-minute flight.
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The Congress did not vote on the Finnish-Latvian offer, as it was the only one. The same case was with the election for 2026, when only the Swiss applied for the tournament. The World Cup was to take place in the country of the Swiss Cross in 2020, but due to coronavirus measures, the championship was canceled. It will be played in Friborg and Zurich, where medal fights will take place in the new arena under construction.
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It was previously decided that in 2024 the World Cup will take place in the Czech Republic, a year later the tournament will be hosted by Sweden and Denmark.
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