2026 Olympic men's ice hockey guide: Here's everything you need to know

The 2026 Winter Olympic men’s ice hockey tournament kicks off today, Wednesday, February 11, and it’s the first time NHL players are back in the Winter Games since 2014.

The men’s ice hockey tournament is divided into three groups for the qualifying round.

While the draw delivers a quick classic rivalry between Finland and Sweden, the other two 4 Nations Face-Off heavyweights, Canada and the U.S., are in separate groups.

Group A: Canada, Switzerland, Czechia, France

Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy

Group C:  U.S., Germany, Latvia, Denmark

Will Canada and the U.S. cruise to a bye?

Knockout round seeding is determined (in order) by record, points, goal differential, total goals tally, and then IIHF world ranking.

Then, the top four teams get a bye and advance to the qualification round, and it would be an upset if Canada and the U.S. were not among them.

But here’s the catch: this bracket isn’t locked.

According to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the semifinal round has the top-ranked team playing the lowest-ranked team after the quarterfinals. And the second- and third-highest ranks play each other.

It means if Canada and the U.S. are positioned first and second after the round robin and win out, they could potentially meet for the gold medal.

And this has left fans buzzing with anticipation about these Olympics. U.S. vs. Canada could be one for the ages, no matter if they clash for a medal or earlier in the knockout round.

For the unversed, the U.S. triumphed at the IIHF World Championship last spring, with multiple players from that team joining the Olympic roster in 2026.

When's the big stuff happening?

Well, we’ve got you covered; here’s the complete schedule.

The ice buzz will start on Wednesday, February 11, with group-phase action in Group B.

Team USA, eyeing its first gold medal since 1980, hits the ice against Latvia tomorrow, Thursday, February 12, and Canada opens its campaign trail against Czechia.

The men’s qualification round playoff is set to be played on February 17, with the quarterfinals scheduled for February 18.

The semifinals are scheduled for February 20, with the losers of those games competing for the bronze medal on February 21, and the winners will face off for Olympic ultimate glory, the Gold, on February 22, 2026.