Minnesota lawmakers hear request for $5 million state grant to help host 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship

Rep. Norris and Rep. Jeff Witte introduced House File 1007, a request to appropriate $5,000,000 to Minnesota Sports and Events to help cover costs associated with hosting the International Ice Hockey Federation’s 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship in the Twin Cities.

The bill’s sponsors and testifiers said the tournament, scheduled to run Dec. 26, 2025, through Jan. 5, 2026, will stage 29 games at Xcel Energy Center and 3M Arena at Mariucci, include pre-tournament exhibition matches across seven Minnesota cities, and use training sites including the National Sports Center in Blaine. "Minnesota has 135 community based hockey associations and 30 collegiate hockey teams," Rep. Norris said, adding that "there are nearly 50,000 registered hockey players in Minnesota ages 18 and under."

Why it matters: Sponsors and witnesses told the committee the tournament will produce major visitor activity across the state and generate tax revenue that, they said, would exceed the requested appropriation. "World Juniors is expected to draw 250,000 spectators from across the country and…