2026 Winter Olympics: Denmark, Latvia, Slovakia Qualify For Milano Cortina

After a tense Olympic qualifier tournament, Denmark, Latvia and Slovakia have each punched their tickets to Milano Cortina 2026.

Sep 3, 2024 by Chris Peters

2026 Winter Olympics: Denmark, Latvia, Slovakia Qualify For Milano Cortina

The 2026 Winter Olympics field for the men’s hockey tournament is now set, mostly, following a weekend that saw the final qualification tournament held in Europe.

Denmark, Slovakia and Latvia each qualified for the Olympics by going undefeated in group play. Each were also the favorites, but it wasn’t necessarily a walk in the park to get to the big tournament in Milano Cortina in 2026.

Denmark had the biggest scare of all the favorites, needing a 3-2 overtime win to defeat upset-minded Japan in their second qualification game. Lars Eller scored in overtime after Denmark poured 39 shots on the Japanese net, with Yuta Narisawa turning away 36 of them in the game.

The Danes managed to defeat Norway 4-1 in the finale to punch their ticket to Italy. Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen turned aside 30 of the 31 shots he saw in the game.

Latvia mostly cruised into the Olympics on home ice in Riga. Their toughest test came from France, which had scored 12 goals over its first two games of Olympic qualification. Latvia’s defense, however, was up to the task by limiting the French attack to just 19 shots on goal. One-time Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Kristians Rubins had three points in the game for Latvia.

Slovakia, which won bronze at the last Olympics men’s hockey tournament, had its toughest test in its first game, meeting Austria in their qualification opener. The two teams battled in a low-scoring affair, but the Slovaks came out on top with a 2-1 win. Minnesota Wild prospect Samuel Hlavaj made 29 stops in the game to ensure Slovakia picked up the win.

A 7-3 win over Hungary, and a close battle with Kazakhstan to close out the Olympic qualifier saw host Slovakia advance.

There is one major loose end coming out of Olympics qualification, however. Russia is still banned from international competition by the IIHF due to the invasion of Ukraine. Should Russia remain barred from competition ahead of the 2026 Olympics, France will be the team that goes to Milano Cortina in their place.

Since France had the best record among second-place teams in the Olympic qualifier, they would have the benefit of being the first team in, should Russia’s IIHF ban continue.

Olympic Men's Hockey Qualification Round Results

Thursday, Aug. 29

Kazakhstan 5, Hungary, 2
France 7, Ukraine 2
Norway 4, Japan 2
Slovakia 2, Austria 1
Latvia 4, Slovenia 2
Denmark 3, Great Britain 1

Friday, Aug. 30

Kazakhstan 2, Austria 1
France 5, Slovenia 1
Norway 6, Great Britain 2
Slovakia 7, Hungary 3
Latvia 5, Ukraine 1
Denmark 3, Japan 2 (OT)

Sunday, Sept. 1

Slovenia 6, Ukraine 2
Great Britain 3, Japan 2
Austria 4, Hungary 3
Latvia 5, France 2
Denmark 4, Norway 1
Slovakia 3, Kazakhstan 1

What Teams Made The 2026 Winter Olympics For Men's Hockey?

Here are all of the teams that will be participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament, as of right now.

Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Russia (or France), Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, United States.

When Is The Winter Olympics?

The Olympic Winter Games are schedule for February 6-22, 2026.

As a reminder, NHL players will be allowed to participate for their respective countries in Milano Cortina.

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