Two years before the 2030 Winter Games, for which a French bid is being prepared, France is dreaming of hosting the Men’s World Ice Hockey Championships. The announcement was made by the president of the French ice hockey federation (FFHG), Pierre-Yves Gerbeau (photo above), at the press conference for the Ligue Magnus, the French professional league. He explained that, should the bid be successful, the 2028 World Championship matches would be held in Paris and Lyon. The FFHG had considered embarking on the adventure with Great Britain, before reviewing its strategy and finally deciding to launch the campaign alone. At this stage, no other country has submitted a bid, but Kazakhstan may also try its luck. France has not hosted the world tournament since 2017, when it shared the hosting duties with Germany. The next four editions of the World Cup are all scheduled to take place in Europe, respectively in the Czech Republic next year, Sweden and Denmark in 2025, Switzerland in 2026, the year of the Milan-Cortina Games, and Germany in 2027.
