Three new countries advance to qualify for hockey in upcoming Winter Olympics

At this year's NHL All Star Game, the hockey world erupted with joy when commissioner Gary Bettman announced that NHL players will be able to partake in the Olympics again.

With true best-on-best international hockey returning, fans are already getting excited and looking ahead to the competition. With the qualifying tournaments happening this weekend, three new teams will now officially be moving onto the final qualification stage - Ukraine, Japan, and Great Britain.


Ukraine last appeared in the 2022 Olympics, but haven't qualified since 2013. Great Britain actually won Olympic gold for hockey in 1936, but then haven't participated since 1948. Japan is looking to return for the first time since 1998 when they hosted the tournament.


The final round of qualifying tournaments will be held from August 29 to September first of this year, and three winners of the final tournaments will punch their ticket to the Olympics in 2026. As of right now, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Germany, The United States, Switzerland, Czechia, and host Italy are all confirmed for the Olympic tournament.