End of the show. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on Tuesday February 2nd that it had entrusted Latvia with all the matches for the next Men’s World Cup, scheduled for May 21st to June 6th, 2021. The matches will all take place in one city, Riga, the capital. The IIHF has therefore opted for simplicity, by refocusing the world tournament initially awarded also to Belarus, in Latvia. The international body wanted to give itself time to choose between several options, after withdrawing Belarus from its share of the competition, for political reasons. Denmark and Slovakia had expressed their wish to recover all or part of the meetings scheduled in Minsk. But the IIHF felt it was best to have all the teams together in Riga for the duration of the tournament. A solution that will avoid travel and could, if necessary, create a health bubble in the Latvian capital. The 16 qualified teams will all stay in the same hotel. The matches will take place at two venues, the Arena Riga and the Olympic Sports Center, just 150 meters apart.
