EDMONTON — Premier Danielle Smith announced her government will commit $15 million in support for a possible Calgary-Edmonton bid to host the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, amid reports the NHL commissioner visited Calgary to view the new arena site and discuss the bid. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport later told the Western Standard that the Government of Alberta had committed to supporting the bids, but they backtracked on Smith's comments and did not specify a dollar value. "Budget 2026 provides over $20 million over the next three years to help attract major sporting events, ensuring Alberta continues to be a premier sport tourism destination," reads an email from Vanessa Gomez, press secretary for the Minister of Sport and Tourism. "We are excited to see which major event opportunities choose Alberta as their host, driving visitors - and their dollars - into our beautiful province."Monday comments show that the Flames and Oilers have the support of the Alberta government to bring the NHL’s “best on best” hockey to the province and all the fanfare that will come with it. "So we're crossing our fingers and hoping that the NHL Players Association, as well as the owners, make a decision for the Calgary, Edmonton bid," said Smith. The comments came the same day it was reported that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was travelling to Calgary to see the new arena under construction and to discuss the potential of the Flames being the primary hosts for the event. .The 2028 tournament will feature eight national teams and will be played in a round-robin format, followed by elimination games. Games will be split between two host cities, with one of the semifinals and finals being played in one of the cities."International best-on-best competition is very important to our Players – representing their countries on the ice is in their DNA — and hockey fans love it,” said Bettman in a 2025 press release. “Resuming Olympic participation next season and staging a World Cup of Hockey in February 2028 will provide expanded opportunity for more players to represent more nations in best-on-best competition."Sportsnet reports an official decision on who will host the tournament is expected in the next two weeks, and Calgary and Edmonton are on the shortlist of cities to host the North American portion of the 2028 tournament. It also reported on Monday that the NHL is looking to select a European city to host a set of round-robin games and a single North American city to host the other set of round-robin games, along with the elimination games. Though Smith clearly stated on Monday that she believes Calgary and Edmonton are submitting a joint bid, which could mean they would operate as the two cities, rather than one in North America and one in Europe. .The provincial government’s support is expected to be met with backlash, as the province announced on Thursday that it is projecting a $9.4 billion deficit in Budget 2026, with the losses continuing into the 2027 and 2028 fiscal years. Smith and Finance Minister Nate Horner have told Albertans that the Government of Alberta prioritized "needs" over "wants" when drafting Budget 2026. Edmonton has become a primary venue for major sporting and cultural events since the opening of Rogers Place in 2016, including being named host of the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2026/27.For Calgary, hosting the World Cup of Hockey could serve as a launchpad for the city's new event centre, which is scheduled to open for the 2027 hockey season.Their current arena, the Scotiabank Saddledome, was christened in a similar fashion, as it hosted ice hockey during the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary..The NHL announced the 2028 World Cup of Hockey in February 2025, aiming to build on the success of the 4-Nations Faceoff while providing an alternative tournament for the best players in hockey to represent their country in non-Olympic years.The league announced that it would hold a World Cup of Hockey every four years, and combine it with the Olympics to ensure that there is best-on-best international hockey every two years.The 2028 tournament will be a rebirth for the tournament, which has been held four times, most recently in 2016.
