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At Schalke! 2027 Ice Hockey World Championship Kicks Off with Open-Air Game
Host Germany will play the opening match against Vice World Champion Switzerland in Gelsenkirchen.
The 2027 Ice Hockey World Championship will open with a highlight.
On May 13, host Germany and Vice World Champion Switzerland will face each other in an open-air game at the football arena in Schalke. Face-off in Gelsenkirchen will be at 8:20 PM.
"I can't imagine a bigger event than this," said Matti Nurminen, Secretary General of the IIHF World Federation.
World Record Set in 2010
The Ice Hockey World Championship had already started in the Veltins-Arena in 2010, when a world record for an outdoor game was set with 77,803 spectators, a record that has since been surpassed. Next year, around 62,000 fans are expected to find space.
Both teams are part of Austria's Group B, which will be played in Mannheim. Other opponents of the ÖEHV team are defending champions Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Slovenia, and promoted team Ukraine.
