The 2023 IIHF World Championship was co-hosted by Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia. The tournament was held from 12 to 28 May 2023, organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
Canada won its record-breaking 28th title by beating Germany 5–2 in the final. The silver was Germany's first medal since 1953. Latvia claimed its first IIHF medal after defeating the USA 4–3 in overtime and finishing third.
Riga (/ˈriːɡə/ REE-gə) is the capital, primate, and largest city of Latvia and the second largest in the Baltics. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga metropolitan area, which stretches beyond the city limits, is estimated at 847,162 (as of 2025). The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Baltic Sea. Riga's territory covers 307.17 km (118.60 sq mi) and lies 1–10 m (3–33 ft) above sea level on a flat and sandy plain.
Riga was founded in 1201, and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. Riga was the European Capital of Culture in 2014, along with Umeå in Sweden. Riga hosted the 2006 NATO Summit, the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, the 2013 World Women's Curling Championship, and the IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships in 2006, 2021, and 2023. It is home to the European Union's office of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). In 2017, it was named as the European Region of Gastronomy.
View the full Wikipedia page for RigaThe Nokia Arena, also known by its non-sponsored name Tampere Deck Arena (Finnish: Tampereen Kannen areena), is an indoor arena in Tampere, Finland, which hosts ice hockey games and large cultural events. It is the home arena of Ilves and Tappara of the SM-liiga. Its construction was approved by the City Council of Tampere on 19 May 2010, and it was officially opened on 3 December 2021 and was the first arena in the world to feature LED dasher boards.
The NHL teams Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche played two games at the Nokia Arena in the 2022 NHL Global Series on 4–5 November 2022. 12,882 spectators showed up for the first game between two NHL teams at the Nokia Arena. The Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers played two games at the Nokia Arena in the 2024 NHL Global Series on 1–2 November 2024. Nokia Arena hosted back-to-back IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships in 2022 and 2023.
View the full Wikipedia page for Nokia Arena (Tampere)