The games will take place from 17 May to 2 June 2030, with the capitals Helsinki and Riga as the host cities. Both cities will host the games for one preliminary round group and the quarter-finals. The semi-finals and medal round will be played in Helsinki.
“The decision means that preparations for the championships can now begin. Even now it’s easy to see that the City of Helsinki, the Arena and all other key stakeholders are eager to get started – it’s clear that we have all been waiting for the Ice Hockey World Championships to come to the Helsinki Metropolitan Area,” says Heikki Hietanen, the president of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.
“It’s great that the Ice Hockey World Championships are coming back to Helsinki. We warmly welcome hockey fans and players from Finland and abroad to come and enjoy the thrill of the games and all that Helsinki has to offer. I’m certain that the World Championships will once again create many memorable Finnish sporting moments and a great competition event here in Helsinki,” says Daniel Sazonov, the Mayor of Helsinki.
Helsinki previously hosted the Men's World Championships in spring 2012. Helsinki was the second host city for the 2013 and 2022 world championships.
This return to the Helsinki Metropolitan Area is likely to attract not only Finnish ice hockey fans but also a large number of foreign tourists. The two-and-a-half-week-long championships will have a significant economic impact.
“In addition to the international TV and media visibility, the direct economic impact of the 2022 World Championships was estimated to be EUR 86.7 million and the indirect economic impact up to EUR 108.4–151.7 million for the Tampere region. The direct economic impact of the World Championships hosted together with Latvia a year later, in spring 2023, was estimated at EUR 75.2 million and the indirect impact at EUR 94-131.6 million,” Hietanen states, describing the results of impact studies conducted after the previous World Championships in Finland.
TV visibility of the 2025 World Championships
Cumulative TV audience: 551 million
Total broadcasting time: 5,600 hours
Championship visibility in different countries: 40 countries
Channels broadcasting the games: 227
Men's Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments held in Finland
1965 Tampere
1974 Helsinki
1982 Helsinki, Tampere
1991 Turku, Helsinki, Tampere
1997 Helsinki, Turku, Tampere
2003 Helsinki, Tampere, Turku
2012 Helsinki, Stockholm
2013 Stockholm, Helsinki
2022 Tampere, Helsinki
2023 Tampere, Riga
(The main host city for the World Championships is listed first)