The Great Britain ice hockey team are preparing for a busy few months with Winter Olympics qualifying and the World Championship on the horizon.
Great Britain attempt to qualify for Winter Olympics 2026
Great Britain haven’t qualified for the Winter Olympics since 1948 but will bid to reach Milan 2026 buoyed by the success of recent years.
They take on Romania, China and Serbia in the first phase from Thursday 8th to Sunday 11th February.
Head coach Peter Russell will take charge of the team again on the home ice of his club side, Cardiff Devils of the Elite Ice Hockey League.
The group winners will then progress to final qualifying in August 2024.
In announcing the schedule, IHUK said: “It’s a huge tournament for Great Britain as they begin their quest to qualify for the most prestigious sporting tournament in the world. Join us in the Vindico Arena in February for passion, commitment and top-quality ice hockey as we look to take a step closer to our Olympic dream.”
Great Britain will enter the first phase of qualifying as favourites to progress. They are the highest ranked of the four nations in the IIHF World Rankings.
GB are 20th, ahead of Romania (23rd), China (26th) and Serbia (30th).
The group winner progresses to final qualifying, where they will be placed in one of three already drawn groups.
So-called Group D comprises Slovakia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, while Latvia will host a group including France and Austria. The other group also awaiting a qualifier is Denmark, Norway and Slovenia.
The winners of those three groups will join hosts Italy and the eight top ranked IIHF nations – Canada, Finland, Russia, USA, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Czech Republic – in the 12-team competition at the Olympics.
The involvement of Russia and Belarus remains unconfirmed and could result in some re-jigging.
Ice hockey at the Winter Olympics will take place at PalaItalia and Fiera Milano between February 6th and 22nd 2026.
IIHF World Championship
Following on from their successes in recent years, Great Britain will once again participate in the top division of the IIHF World Championship.
Canada will start the competition as favourites with the best Irish betting sites currently pricing them at 3/1, ahead of Finland (7/2) and Sweden (5/1).
GB are rank outsiders, priced at 1000/1 alongside Poland – and mere survival will again be their aim.
Great Britain will head to Prague for this year’s tournament between 10th and 26th May, taking on Canada, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Switzerland.
List of confirmed Great Britain ice hockey fixtures in 2024
Thursday 8th February – Olympics qualifying – GB v China – Vindico Arena, Cardiff – 8pm face-off
Saturday 10th February – Olympics qualifying – Serbia v GB – Vindico Arena, Cardiff – 7pm face-off
Sunday 11th February – Olympics qualifying – GB v Romania – Vindico Arena, Cardiff – 7pm face-off
Saturday 11th May – IIHF World Championship – GB v Canada – Prague – 11.20am
Sunday 12th May – IIHF World Championship – Finland v GB – Prague – 11.20am
Wednesday 15th May – IIHF World Championship – Switzerland v GB – Prague – 7.20pm
Friday 17th May – IIHF World Championship – GB v Denmark – Prague – 3.20pm
Saturday 18th May – IIHF World Championship – Czechia v GB – Prague – 7.20pm
Monday 20th May – IIHF World Championship – GB v Norway – Prague – 3.20pm
Tuesday 21st May – IIHF World Championship – Austria v GB – Prague – 11.20am
How to get tickets to watch Great Britain ice hockey in 2024?
Tickets for the Olympics qualifying games can be bought via the Cardiff Devils ticketing platform.
Adults
Tournament Pass – £49
GB Single Game Ticket – £20
Non-GB Single Game Ticket – £10
Seniors/Students
Tournament Pass – £40
GB Single Game Ticket – £15
Non-GB Single Game Ticket – £8
Under-16s
Tournament Pass – £25
GB Single Game Ticket – £12
Non-GB Single Game Ticket – £6
You can buy tickets for the IIHF World Championship via the IIHF ticket portal here.
