Get Your Game On | Stories

Hockey. Soccer. Golf. Rugby. Climbing. Running. Swimming. Cycling.

You name it, Edmonton loves ALL the sports. Playing them, watching them, hosting them.

We’re the No. 1 sports city in Canada, according to Burson’s 2025 Ranking of Sport Cities. One of the main reasons? Edmonton attracts a lot of major international events—from World Cup qualifying matches (1994, 2002, 2022) to the 2026 CPKC Women’s Open Golf to the World Cup of Hockey in 2028.

These events welcome elite athletes and thousands of fans, generating millions of dollars in economic activity in the city. A sold-out Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) game in 2025, for example, contributed more than $11 million to Edmonton’s economy—with half of the 17,518 fans in Rogers Place coming from out of town.

Here’s a look at some of Edmonton’s hosting gigs over the next few months:

IIHF World Junior Championship

When: December 26, 2026 to January 5, 2027
When: Rogers Place

Cheer on the world’s best junior hockey players during this two-city tournament.

Edmonton’s Rogers Place will host 17 games, including the gold-medal final. Red Deer’s Marchant Crane Centrium will feature 14 games.

Edmonton also hosted the World Juniors in 2021 and 2022.

2027 Youth National Championships

When: May 6 to 27 2027
Where: Expo Centre

Young volleyball players from across Canada will be vying for national titles in the 15U Girls, 16U Girls, 17U and 18U age divisions.

Games will be played on 56 courts over the course of three weeks at the Expo Centre.

The venue also hosted the Youth National Championships in 2025.

Servus Edmonton Marathon

When: August 2027 (date to be announced)
Starts/finishes: Edmonton Convention Centre

The 42.2-km course offers runners scenic views of the river valley as they head east to Rundle Heights, then west to Parkview.

In 2026, Alberta’s Nageso Nyafaro broke the men’s course record while Mikky Keetels of The Netherlands broke the women’s.

More than 10,000 runners took part in the marathon—another record!

Notable events

Edmonton has played host to dozens of international sporting events over the years. Here’s a list of some of them:

2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Triathlon World Cup Edmonton 2026
World Rugby Nations Cup
Edmonton Athletics Invitational
North American Cup Series (Climbing)
Road to 2026 Send-off: Canada vs. Uzbekistan
2025 & 2026 PWHL Takeover Tour
2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup
2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic
2023 Pan American Sitting Volleyball Championships
2022-2025 FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series
2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Matches
2021 & 2022 World Rugby Sevens Series
2021 & 2022 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships
2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup
2017 PBR Global Cup
2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup
2014 & 2015 World Triathlon Edmonton
2006 Women’s Rugby World Cup
2005-2012 Edmonton Indy
2005 World Master Games
2005 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2003 NHL Heritage Classic
2002 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship
2002 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Match
2001 World Marathon Cup
2001 World Championships in Athletics
1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Match
1983 World University Games
1978 Commonwealth Games

Editor’s note: the first image on this page shows Canada playing Finland at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship at Rogers Place. Courtesy of Explore Edmonton. Photos of the CPKC Women’s Open Golf tournament, IIHF World Junior Championship and Volleyball Canada’s 2027 Youth National Championships are also courtesy of Explore Edmonton.