NHL hockey players will play at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy

National Hockey League (NHL) players will participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. This was announced on July 2 by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on its official website.

The agreement on the return of NHL players to the Olympic arena was reached at a meeting of representatives of the IIHF, the NHL, the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the IIHF headquarters in Zurich. The participation of professional hockey players will be the first since the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.

IIHF President Luc Tardif called the event "an amazing day for international hockey" and stressed that the federation worked closely with the NHL, the NHLPA and the IOC to bring the stars back to the Olympic Games.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman noted that the Olympics will provide an opportunity to showcase the skills of hockey players on the international stage, and NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh called the signing of the agreement "a monumental moment for hockey." According to him, the performances of the NHL players in Milan and Cortina will give additional energy to tournaments like the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off and continue the global development of hockey.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry stressed that the participation of the world's best hockey players in the 2026 and 2030 Olympics was made possible through a constructive dialogue between all parties and highly appreciated the outcome of the agreement reached.

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Earlier, the IIHF did not allow the Russian men's national team to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. In addition, the federation has already formed groups for men's and women's hockey tournaments at the upcoming Games.