The schedule for the 2021 IIHF World Championship was today announced for the tournament taking place in Rīga, Latvia, marking the return of the World Championship after its historic cancellation last year, returning to Latvia for the first time in 15 years.

Group A, which was originally set to be hosted in Minsk, Belarus, but will now be in Rīga, will feature three of the top four European powers, Czechia, Sweden and Russia (who will now have to play as “Neutral Athletes From Russia” under a neutral flag, anthem and jersey due to CAS sanctions), one of which will likely top out the group. The likes of Switzerland, Denmark and Slovakia will look to play spoiler and crack the top four for the medal round, while Belarus and fan favourites Great Britain will likely duke it out to get the second-last spot in the group, although relegation is not on the table in 2021 due to lower-tier tournaments being cancelled in November.

Group B features the defending champion and runner-up, Finland and Canada, alongside hosts Latvia, the United States, Germany, Norway, Italy and Kazakhstan. While a 1-2 finish for the Finns and Canadians seems most likely, it is how the rest of the group will flush out that will make up the most interesting component of Group B, with a number of contending nations jockeying for the medal round. Whether NHL players will be ready in time for the tournament will have a major impact on the likes of Germany, Latvia and Team USA, who will depend on their professional star power to avoid falling to the bottom of the group.

The tournament schedule is as follows:

The IHLC champion will be determined by the end of the 2021 Euro Hockey Tour, and depending on COVID travel restrictions, potentially even a contender from the Euro Hockey Challenge. While we know a European squad will carry the title by May, which group they enter in, and what the final groups look like by the time the tournament is set to begin (almost certainly behind closed doors), will be as much of a guessing game as almost anything the world has faced over the past eleven months of this pandemic.

Photo Credit: 2019 World Championship – IIHF – HHOF – IOC