Bemidji to Host 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship Hockey Pre-Tournament Series

The IIHF World Junior Championship of hockey is coming to Minnesota next winter, and on Tuesday, the city of Bemidji announced it will be a host community for a pre-tournament series ahead of the 11-day tournament that runs between December 26th, 2025 through January 5th, 2026.

These games present an opportunity for locals to see some of the best international hockey talent up close, as well as showcase the city’s ability to host a world-class sporting event.

Two years ago, BSU men’s hockey sent two players to Sweden to participate at the World Juniors tourney. Former Beavers defenseman Erik Pohlkamp represented the United States and current forward Kasper Magnussen skated for Norway.

“To be able to play that tournament was amazing,” said Magnussen of the experience. “It’s a tournament that every hockey kid dreams about playing in, and for Bemidji to be able to host a couple of exhibition games here at the Sanford Center, that’s huge for the community.”

“Hockey is important, it is culturally significant to what we do,” added Britt Lauritsen, the Director of Athletics at Bemidji State. “To be able to see these guys up here, have Kasper up here to talk to you about what hockey means to them, and just to see that from a very young age all the way up to the age of the guys that we’re going to have coming into Bemidji, it’s important we share that with the rest of the world.”

Andrea Graham from Minnesota Sports and Events, who is also doubling as the Co-Executive Director of the 2026 Tournament, expressed her excitement to share the event with greater Minnesota.

“When the opportunity came up to host this pre-tournament series around the state, we started brainstorming the cities we wanted to ask to bid on it. Bemidji was top of the list, so we are so thrilled to be here with you all.”

The exhibition games will be played at the Sanford Center the week before the teams head to the Twin Cities to begin pool play. Exact dates, times, teams, and ticketing will be released at a later date.

The World Juniors feature 10 U20 national teams and is widely considered one of the biggest and best junior tournaments for any sport in the world. The USA has won the last two World Junior Hockey Tournaments.