2026 Ice Hockey World Championship: Teams Finalize Rosters; Celebrini Shines in Friendly; Arena Odor Issue Emerges
Where things stand
Updated May 15, 05:01 PMThe 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship commenced on May 15 in Switzerland, with Sweden facing Canada in the opening game in Fribourg. Macklin Celebrini, 19, captains a Canadian team featuring veteran Sidney Crosby on the top line. Sweden counters with a youthful roster including debutants Viggo Björck, 18, Anton Frondell, and Ivar Stenberg, alongside defenseman Mattias Ekholm. Other national teams have finalized rosters, with Finland bringing star center Aleksander Barkov, and Switzerland counting on Roman Josi and Timo Meier on home ice. The tournament runs through May 31 across Fribourg and Zürich, with all games broadcast by Viaplay. Multiple roster decisions and player availabilities remain key storylines as the group stage unfolds.
Open questions
- What was the final score of the Sweden-Canada opening game?Open since May 15, 2026
- Will Matthew Tkachuk join the USA team for their first match?
- What is the extent of Aleksander Barkov's knee injury and how will it affect his play?
- Is the reported odor issue at the Fribourg arena affecting attendance or game conditions?
- How many NHL players are on each participating team's final roster?
Key actors
What's corroborated
Sweden will start the tournament with a match against Canada on May 15 at 20:20.
8 sourcesacross 1 articleAustria has announced its roster for the 2025 IIHF World Championship.
5 sourcesMacklin Celebrini has been named captain of the Canadian national team for the upcoming World Championship.
4 sourcesacross 1 articleSidney Crosby, 38, has joined the Canadian team and is expected to play on a line with Celebrini and Mark Scheifele.
3 sourcesGroup B (Fribourg) includes Sweden, Canada, and other teams (not fully listed).
3 sources
Timeline31
2026-05-15: Viggo Björck, 18, becomes the youngest player ever in Tre Kronor's World Championship history, debuting against Canada.
2026-05-15: Sportbladet reports a salary gap exceeding half a billion SEK per season between Sweden and Canada's rosters.
2026-05-15: Viggo Björck, 18, becomes youngest Swedish player ever at World Championship; salary doubles to 60,000–65,000 SEK with bonuses.
2026-05-15: Sidney Crosby praised Sweden's young talents ahead of the Canada-Sweden opener.
2026-05-15: Sweden announces final World Championship roster with 11 NHL players and 13 debutants, including five from the World Juniors.
2026-05-15: Czech Republic announces World Championship roster; NHL forward Adam Klapka omitted.
2026-05-15: Canada names Macklin Celebrini as team captain for the World Championship.
2026-05-15: Mattias Ekholm highlighted as a key player for Sweden's young team at the World Championship.
2026-05-14: Canada confirms its top line of Crosby, Celebrini, and Scheifele for the opener against Sweden.
2026-05-14: Reports emerge of a strong cow manure smell at the BCF Arena in Fribourg, causing discomfort among players.
2026-05-15: Peter Forsberg reveals he gave advice to Sweden's coach Sam Hallam, drawing on his father's 1998 World Championship gold turnaround.
2026-05-15: Isac Hedqvist dropped from Sweden's World Championship roster two days before opener vs Canada.
2026-05-13: Slovakia announces World Championship roster, including SHL-experienced players and two NHL players.
2026-05-13: Italy announces World Championship roster, featuring Swedish-born Mikael Frycklund.
2026-05-13: Denmark announces World Championship roster, including SHL players Frederik Dichow and Mikkel Aagaard.
2026-05-12: Mattias Ekholm confirms he has resolved his conflict with coach Sam Hallam and will join Sweden's World Championship team.
2026-05-15: A previously rejected Malmö junior player and the equipment manager are added to Sweden's World Championship traveling party, per Sydsvenskan.
2026-05-15: Jacob de la Rose named to Sweden's World Championship roster, per Arvika Nyheter.
2026-05-11: Sweden announces preliminary World Championship squad, including Lucas Raymond, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Mattias Ekholm, Ivar Stenberg, and Viggo Björck.
2026-05-11: Austria announces its World Championship roster, including Swedish-born forward Henrik Neubauer.
2026-05-11: Lucas Raymond accepts invitation to play for Sweden at the World Championship, per Hockeysverige.
2026-05-10: Canada beats France 6-1 in a pre-World Championship friendly; Celebrini scores 1 goal and 3 assists.
2026-05-04: Hockeysverige reiterates Fribourg and Zürich as host cities and Sweden vs Canada as the opening game on May 15.
2026-04-28: Hockeysverige confirms Roman Josi to play for Switzerland at the World Championship.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson is reported to play for Sweden at the 2026 World Championship, per Smålandsposten.
Great Britain announces its roster for the 2026 Ice Hockey World Championship, per Hockeysverige.