Great Britain’s preparations for the 2026 IIHF World Championship have been confirmed, featuring participation in two IIHF European Cup of Nations tournaments this season – in November (Poland) and February (Edinburgh) – followed by a four-game series against Italy across April and May.
It is with great excitement that the first stop of our UK-based games will be in Edinburgh for a first game in Scotland since the 1990s. Murrayfield has been a pillar of Scottish hockey development, hosting top-level domestic leagues, juniors and events – shaping the talent base that feeds GB teams.
IIHF European Cup of Nations: 6th to 8th November 2025 in Sosnowiec, Poland
Great Britain, Italy, Slovenia, Poland
IIHF European Cup of Nations: 5th to 7th February 2026 at Murrayfield Ice Rink, Edinburgh,
Great Britain, Poland, Slovenia, Ukraine
GB–Italy Pre-Worlds Series
Thursday 30th April 2026: Great Britain v Italy at Planet Ice Milton Keynes (19:30)
Saturday 2nd May 2026: Great Britain v Italy at Motorpoint Arena Nottingham (19:00)
Sunday 10th May 2026: Italy v Great Britain in Varese, Italy (16:30 CET / 15:30 BST)
Tuesday 12th May 2026: Italy v Great Britain in Varese, Italy (19:45 CET / 18:45 BST)
The clashes between GB and Italy will be the latest installment of great hockey rivalry. Both teams secured promotion to the top division earlier this year in Romania, with GB winning gold and Italy securing the silver medal with second place.
Old Boards, New Chapters
Murrayfield isn’t just a venue on the schedule, it’s one of the places where Great Britain hockey learned to be itself. From the buzz of the Murrayfield Racers era to today’s Capitals, Scottish rinks – and Murrayfield in particular – have supplied GB with scorers, playmakers and even elite officials for generations.
Edinburgh-born Tony Hand MBE lifted the ceiling on what a British player could be; Derek Reilly made winning feel routine in this building; and Moray Hanson set standards in stripes that shaped how the game is called.
Alongside greats from Fife, Glasgow and Dundee – Gordon Latto, Colin Shields MBE, Stephen Murphy, Jimmy Pennycook – Scotland has been a constant thread in the GB jersey.
Hosting the IIHF European Cup of Nations at Murrayfield brings that heritage into the present: the same end boards, the same noise, but a new generation preparing for the top division. It’s a chance for Scottish fans to see GB on home ice, in a rink that’s helped produce the people and the culture that got us here.
After GB’s stop in Edinburgh, the team will begin their four-game series with Italy in front of the brilliant fans of Milton Keynes and Nottingham.
Ticket information
It’s going to be a jam packed calendar of world-class hockey throughout the 2025-26 season. Ticket information – pricing and on-sale dates – will be announced shortly.