Slovakia will organize the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Bratislava and Kosice from 3-19 May 2019 at the same venues that successfully hosted the 2011 Worlds for the first time in history of Slovakia as an independent country. Bratislava was also a host in 1959 and 1992 during the Czechoslovak era.

A city of 618,000 inhabitants, the Slovak capital of Bratislava has 4.2 million people in a 100-kilometre radius including Vienna. The arena of Slovan Bratislava has a capacity of 9,763 seats for hockey and two practice rinks under the same roof.

Kosice is the country’s second-largest city with a population of 240,000. The secondary arena offers 8,347 seats and an additional ice sheet for practices.

In the presentation former Slovak star forward Miroslav Satan addressed the Congress:

“The atmosphere was truly exciting in 2011 not only for players but for hockey fans from all around the world. All the country got the fever for two weeks and we were able to showcase Slovakia all around the world.”

Following the decision at the last Congress, both the 2019 and 2020 editions were allocated today with Slovakia and Switzerland as the only applicants.

Under the slogan “Love Ice Hockey” Switzerland will host the 2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Zurich and Lausanne. Switzerland last time hosted in 2009 in Berne and Zurich-Kloten.

With 400,000 inhabitants in the city and 1.3 million in the region, Zurich is the largest city of the country that was one of the four founding members of the IIHF in 1908. The World Championship took place in the Zurich region four times including the 1953 and 1998 events at the proposed venue.