World Championship 2027 Travel Guide

World Championship 2027 travel guide: the essentials

The 2027 IIHF World Championship is hosted by Germany from 13 to 30 May 2027. It is the largest annual hockey tournament outside the NHL season and it brings together the national teams of 16 countries, with the best players available to each nation. For travelling fans, it is a rare chance to see many nations in one place, with colourful crowds and a festival feel that lasts more than two weeks.

Three venues matter. The PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf hosts Group B and the final on 30 May. SAP Arena in Mannheim hosts Group A. Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen hosts the opening game, Germany against Switzerland, on 13 May 2027. This guide helps you decide where to base yourself and how to link the venues.

The 2026 champion was Finland, who beat Switzerland 1-0 in overtime in the final. The next tournament, in 2028, will be in France, in Paris and Lyon. For now, we focus on Germany in 2027 and stick to what is confirmed. The full game-by-game schedule and ticket sales have not been announced in our information, so those details are marked to be confirmed.

Worlds 2027 travel: groups and teams

Group A in Mannheim: Worlds 2027 tickets

Group A, played at SAP Arena in Mannheim, includes Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Latvia, Austria, Slovenia and Ukraine. If you want to see the host nation, two of the strongest hockey countries in Europe and a traditionally enthusiastic crowd of Swiss and Finnish fans, this is the group to follow.

Group B in Düsseldorf: Worlds 2027 dates

Group B, played at the PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf, includes Canada, USA, Czechia, Slovakia, Denmark, Norway, Kazakhstan and Hungary. This is the group for fans of the North American teams and for Czech and Slovak supporters, who often travel in numbers.

Choosing your group: Worlds 2027 schedule

Pick the teams you want to follow first, then choose the city. If you want to see both groups, remember that Düsseldorf and Mannheim are in different regions, so allow travel time. Exact dates and times for each group game are not announced yet in our information, so keep your plans flexible.

World Championship 2027 travel guide: the opening game in Gelsenkirchen

Germany versus Switzerland at Veltins-Arena: Worlds 2027 tickets

The tournament opens on 13 May 2027 at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen. Veltins-Arena is a large stadium rather than a standard ice rink, which makes the opening game a special occasion: a very big crowd for a hockey match and a distinctive atmosphere. It also means that tickets for this game may be in particularly high demand.

Getting to Gelsenkirchen: Worlds 2027 dates

Gelsenkirchen is in the same western region of Germany as Düsseldorf, in a densely connected area with regional trains. If you plan to attend the opening game, you can stay in Düsseldorf, which also has the Group B games, or choose accommodation in a nearby city. Always check transport options for the evening, since late trains can be limited.

Opening day plan: Worlds 2027 schedule

Arrive early, use public transport and keep your tickets on your phone. Check the venue's rules on bags and entry. For travellers from abroad, this is the first day to be ready for crowds and delays.

Worlds 2027 travel: Düsseldorf and Mannheim as bases

Düsseldorf: Worlds 2027 tickets

Düsseldorf has a major airport, a fast train network and a lively old town with restaurants and bars, so it is the natural base for the western part of the trip. It hosts the Group B games and the final on 30 May, which makes it the best city if you want to stay for the end of the tournament. It is also the city that hosts the NHL Global Series games in December 2026, so its arena is already a hockey venue.

Mannheim: Worlds 2027 dates

Mannheim, home of DEL club Adler Mannheim, is a hockey city with a strong local following. SAP Arena holds 13,600 for hockey. The city is smaller than Düsseldorf but is connected by rail to major German cities, and a base nearby, such as in a bigger city on the rail network, can be practical.

Linking the two: Worlds 2027 schedule

The cities are in different parts of Germany, so travel between them takes planning. Check train timetables and book flexible tickets. Because the schedule is not announced yet, we cannot confirm which games fall where, so wait for the official timetable before booking trains between the two cities.

World Championship 2027 travel guide: tickets and booking

Official channels first: Worlds 2027 tickets

Start with the official ticket channel of the tournament. International events like this commonly offer packages and individual game tickets, and demand can be high for games involving the host, Canada and the strongest teams. Exact sale dates are not announced yet, so we label them to be confirmed.

Resale and caution: Worlds 2027 dates

Resale marketplaces may exist as a fallback, but compare the total price including fees, check the seat information and avoid private sellers. We do not list prices in this guide.

Email alerts: Worlds 2027 schedule

The easiest way to catch the sale is an email alert. Tell us your country or city, and we will notify you when schedules and tickets are released.

Accommodation: Worlds 2027 tickets

Hotels fill up quickly around international events. Book flexible rates once you have a rough plan, and consider a base outside the host city with good train links.

2027 World Championship trip: getting there and moving around

Flights and trains: Worlds 2027 dates

Düsseldorf has its own international airport, and Germany has a dense rail network that links the host cities. Fans coming from neighbouring countries can often arrive by train. If you are coming from North America, a flight into a major German hub and a train transfer is a common approach.

Travel documents: Worlds 2027 schedule

Check passport and entry rules for your nationality early. Rules change, so rely on official government pages rather than articles, including this one.

Match-day tips: Worlds 2027 tickets

Arrive early, use public transport and avoid driving to the arena where parking is limited. Keep a charged phone, a payment card and a light layer for the evening. Check the venue's own rules.

Beyond the Worlds

If you extend your trip, DEL clubs such as Kölner Haie at LANXESS arena, with 18,600 seats, may offer league games, but the DEL regular season ends on 7 March 2027, before the Worlds. Playoff dates are confirmed only as ending by 30 April at the latest, so there will be no league games during the tournament.

World Championship 2027 travel guide: what is confirmed and what is not

Confirmed: the tournament runs from 13 to 30 May 2027 in Germany. Düsseldorf's PSD Bank Dome hosts Group B and the final on 30 May. Mannheim's SAP Arena hosts Group A. The opening game, Germany versus Switzerland, is on 13 May 2027 at Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen. The team lists for each group are as shown above.

Not announced yet in our information: the game-by-game schedule, ticket sale dates, ticket categories, fan zones and any local transport arrangements. If you read an exact date for any of these, treat it with caution until it comes from an official source.

The next edition, in 2028, is planned for France, in Paris (Accor Arena) and Lyon (LDLC Arena), from 12 to 28 May 2028. That may also interest you if you want to plan two years ahead.

Set an email alert and we will tell you the moment new details are confirmed, so that your World Championship 2027 trip can be organised in the right order.