— Published on May 19, 2025

Luc Tardif: “We're back to our cruising speed with the World Championships”

InstitutionsInterview Focus

The Ice Hockey World Championships have been in full swing since May 9. Jointly hosted by Stockholm and Herning, the tournament will deliver its verdict this Sunday. Before the final stretch, the president of the International Hockey Federation (IIHF), Luc Tardif, gave an interview, to be read in two parts, to Francs Jeux. From his Swedish hotel, he gives an initial assessment of the competition, which is crucial for the health of international hockey, particularly economically.


How are these World Championships taking place?

From the first weekend, attendances were in line with forecasts, and even a little better. We're seeing great enthusiasm, packed fan zones. The level of competition is remarkable, with many great players: MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Pastrňák, etc. We have stars, great hockey, and a crowd, so far it's been very good. Everyone is very happy with the quality of these World Championships. Both organizations are on target in terms of attendance. You have a happy president here!

The attendance record was broken in 2024 in the Czech Republic (nearly 800.000 tickets sold). How many spectators do you expect this year?

We're going to have well over 500.000 spectators. The rinks will be too small for the quarterfinals and semifinals! Compared to the World Championships that were held here in 2013, Stockholm is already ahead. They're riding high on the success of the World Junior Championships in Gothenburg. There are a lot of distractions in big cities, which can be a danger, but they're very happy with this start. The same goes for Herning compared to the 2018 World Championships, which were a great success. There are a lot of students, young people, who come to enjoy the World Championships. The city has invested a lot in hockey; they hosted the Women's World Championships in 2022, they're organizing them again this year, and we're continuing to communicate with them because they want even more, especially for women's hockey.

Stockholm and Herning have set up very large fan zones. Is this important for reaching a wider audience?

The fan zone is a tradition, it goes with the World Championship. Some people don't understand why we hold our World Championships in May, but there's a small tourist element. And most of the time, in May, it's sunny, it's nice, so we combine business with pleasure. The fan zone is really a meeting place for supporters from different countries. It's a very family-oriented crowd, a bit like rugby. It's friendly, there's no animosity. The first Friday, there were 3.000 people in the fan zone. It's part of the folklore. You can watch the matches on the giant screens, and drink beer, of course! Ice hockey is primarily in the Nordic countries, and they drink beer!

Local organizers also highlighted fan walks, as we often see in football. Can this sport be a source of inspiration for hockey in terms of animation?

We take good ideas from everywhere. There's also the arrival of the players; that's another ritual. We're quite inventive in that regard, and we take good ideas from elsewhere.

"With Prague, we've returned to normal. Stockholm and Herning are part of this normality."

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Will the financial objectives of the 2025 World Championships be achieved? The stakes are high, as a large portion of the IIHF's budget is based on this competition.

Our World Championship, in fact, represents 70% of our revenue. We had a difficult period since we had to cancel the 2020 edition because of Covid. We had to move the 2021 edition to Riga at the last minute due to incidents in Belarus, and what's more, it was under a bubble, without spectators. We have to absorb these difficulties. In 2023, we were supposed to play in Saint Petersburg, and with the war, we had to move the Championships again, to Riga and Tampere. With Prague, we're back to normal, even if the Russians and Belarusians are still missing. Stockholm and Herning are part of this normality. We're back to cruising speed.

Are you thinking about ways to reduce your financial dependence on the World Championships and diversify your sources of income?

I'm proud of our model because the marketing contract we have allows us to finance all unprofitable development activities. The high level feeds the girls, the U18s, the U20s, and all the lower divisions; it's virtuous. Yes, we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket, and fortunately, we have other sources of income. We have a contract with Hockey Canada for the World Junior Championships; it's a big part of our resources. We also just signed an agreement with China, which wants to get more and more involved in organizing the Women's Championships. We've already been to Shenzhen twice (in 2023 and 2025). We've also started creating other events and other products: following on from the two Olympic Games in Asia, we've started an Asian championship with Kazakhstan, Japan, China, and Korea.