Jessheim, Norway to host Milano Cortina 2026 Qualification Tournament

World Para Ice Hockey has announced that the 2025 Paralympic Winter Games Qualification Tournament will be held from 5-10 November in Jessheim, Norway. The top two  teams from the event will earn qualification spots for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

The tournament will be played as a six-team round-robin tournament at the Jessheim Is- og Flerbrukshall – about 43km away from Oslo – and will be hosted by the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association.

“The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association and the city of Jessheim are honoured and grateful to be hosting the Paralympic Qualification Tournament. The table is set for a very exciting event, and we look forward to welcoming all teams and participants,” said Espen Hegde, President of the Local Organising Committee (LOC). 

Slovakia, Norway and Korea – the bottom three finishers from this year’s A-Pool World Championships – are set to compete in Jessheim. They will be joined by three teams from the B-Pool World Championships that takes place in Astana, Kazakhstan from 6-11 September.
 
As the host nation of the next Winter Games, Italy has the option to participate in the Qualification Tournament to improve its ranking. If Italy chooses to compete, it will be joined by the top two ranked teams from the B-Pool. If not, the next highest-ranked eligible team from the B-Pool will take its place at the Qualification Tournament.

Flashing back to #Buffalo 2025! 🏒✨

🏆 Champions: @usahockey
✈️ @milanocortina26 bound: USA, Canada, China, Czechia & Germany.

What’s next?

➡️ Women’s World Championships
➡️ B-Pool Championships
➡️ Paralympic Winter Games Qualification Tournament pic.twitter.com/1C8NojwBXk

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) June 23, 2025

“The Paralympic Winter Games Qualification Tournament is bound to bring out some of the best action we have ever seen in our sport, as teams play for last chance spots to for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games,” said Michelle Laflamme, World Para Ice Hockey Manager. “We are thrilled to have Norway – a hockey hotbed and one of the original nations of our sport – host this crucial event in what is turning into our most competitive Paralympic cycle yet.” 

The top five finishers from the A-Pool World Championships in May have already secured their tickets to the Games: USA, Canada, Czechia, China and Germany.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will take place from 6-15 March 2026 and will feature six sports. The Para ice hockey tournament will be played at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

Team USA is the reigning Paralympic champion, with Canada and China having claimed silver and bronze, respectively, at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics.