Team Great Britain will arrive at the 2026 IIHF World Championship with no excuses: the groundwork for survival is already laid.
For the first time in recent memory, Great Britain will enter the IIHF World Championship with a comprehensive pre-tournament schedule.
No longer are they relying on a couple of friendlies and a short training camp. Instead, they’re about to embark on a months-long programme that includes two international competitions and a four-game head-to-head series against Italy — and that’s very positive news.
This isn’t a silver bullet — Team GB remain clear underdogs heading into their top division return — but they’re giving themselves a fighting chance. And in the unforgiving world of elite international hockey, that’s not nothing.
Breaking New Ground: Team GB’s Preparation Programme Explained
Let’s not dance around it: this is the most prepared a Great Britain team will have been heading into a World Championship.
Their warm-up campaign begins in November 2025 at the IIHF European Cup of Nations in Sosnowiec, Poland, where they’ll face Italy, Slovenia, and the hosts — all familiar opponents and realistic barometers of the squad’s readiness.
In February 2026, they’ll host the second leg of the same tournament in Edinburgh, welcoming Poland, Slovenia, and Ukraine to Murrayfield Ice Rink.
2026 IIHF World Championship: Ben Bowns, Team GB (Image: Dean Woolley)
That’s already a marked improvement from 2024, when GB played just three exhibition games before facing the world’s heavyweights in Prague.
But they’re not stopping there.
In the fortnight before the World Championship, GB will face Italy in a four-game series — two games at home, two in Varese.
Under the leadership of new Ice Hockey UK CEO Henry Staelens — a figure who cut his teeth in football with Forest Green Rovers — there has been a clear cultural shift in how the organisation operates. And pre-tournament programming is just one area where his impact is clear to see.
The Big Show: Team GB’s Task in Switzerland
Team GB have been placed in Group A at the 2026 IIHF World Championship, where they’ll face (in order): Austria, USA, Hungary, Switzerland, Finland, Latvia, and Germany. The Americans arrive as reigning world champions, while Finland and Switzerland are perennial medal contenders. It’s a group stacked with pedigree and peril.
For Pete Russell’s side, the key fixture is obvious: Hungary. Win that, and survival is possible. Lose it, and the odds shrink considerably. But there’s room for optimism beyond just that game. Team GB have pushed Austria close in recent meetings and very nearly stunned Latvia in 2022, falling 4-3 despite racing to a 2-0 lead.
Albeit disappointing, those near-misses proved that Great Britain can compete. But they need every edge available.
This schedule gives them one.
Of course, it’s far too early to start drawing up line combinations. As always, Liam Kirk’s form will be a major talking point, but his impact will depend on the strength of the supporting cast around him.
In any case, this is progress and it feels like Team GB are giving themselves the best shot possible.
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