The joint offer between Latvia and Finland involves one group of games and two quarter-finals to be organized in Arena Riga, while the second group tournament and the decisive games will be hosted by Tampere, where the championship is currently taking place (along with Helsinki).
As Tampere and Rīga wound up being the only candidates, a vote did not take place, and nobody objected.
The 2023 #IIHFWorlds will be held in 🇫🇮 Tampere and 🇱🇻Riga!
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 27, 2022
And for the following years in:
🇨🇿 2024: Prague & Ostrava (Czechia)
🇸🇪 🇩🇰 2025: Stockholm (Sweden) & Herning (Denmark)
🇨🇭2026: Zurich & Fribourg (Switzerland)
More: https://t.co/xGfNBCYs0e@leijonat @lhf_lv pic.twitter.com/Ss8mkMg1qv
The division of teams into groups will become known after the conclusion of the 2022 world championship.
In April, the IIHF revoked St. Petersburg's right to hold the 2023 world championship. Hungary and Slovenia had expressed their interest in organizing the tournament, but withdrew their joint application earlier in May.
Last year the world championship in Latvia took place in a closed bubble due to epidemiological constraints. Fans were unable to attend. Consequently, the championship was not attractive to tourists from other countries. Hopes are high that next time things will be different.
Jānis Naglis, president of the Latvian Hotel and Restaurant Association, said communication with LHF and ticket distributors will be important to prepare for the tournament as successfully as possible, and the contribution to Latvian economy depends on the division of groups.
Latvia also hosted the world ice hockey championship in 2006 before 2021.
