Under the leadership of Daryl Katz, entrepreneur, philanthropist, Founder and Chairman of OEG Inc., and owner of the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers, Alberta’s selection as the North American host of the 2028 World Cup of Hockey marks a significant achievement for OEG Sports & Entertainment, the sports and entertainment arm of Daryl Katz’s OEG Inc., its partners—and a major economic boost for the province. OEG Sports & Entertainment is committed to making Edmonton a preferred destination for elite international sporting events through more than a decade of infrastructure investment.
The 2028 World Cup of Hockey will bring together the world’s top eight national teams competing across North American and European venues, with Prague, Czechia, serving as the European host city. The tournament will showcase games at two venues in Alberta: Rogers Place in Edmonton, and Scotia Place in Calgary. Calgary and Prague will each host seven games, and Edmonton will host two semifinal games and the championship game. Daryl Katz’s OEG Sports & Entertainment drove the successful bid alongside Calgary Sports & Entertainment Corporation, with support from government and tourism partners across the province. The selection of Alberta reflects Edmonton’s growing influence in international sports hosting, championed by Daryl Katz, and the depth of the infrastructure his organization has built.
Rogers Place has built a strong record hosting major hockey events. It served as the NHL’s Hub City for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs and hosted the 2021 World Junior Championships, demonstrating the venue’s capacity to handle the logistical and broadcast demands of elite international competition. Both events bear out Katz’s long-term argument that sustained private investment in the arena and surrounding infrastructure pays dividends for the city as a whole.
Alberta’s selection for the 2028 tournament is inseparable from the infrastructure Daryl Katz and OEG Real Estate (formerly Katz Group Real Estate) have built in Edmonton’s downtown core. Since Rogers Place opened in 2016, the $2.5 billion ICE District has become a model for sports-anchored urban developments across North America, with the 25-acre mixed-use district generating $3.2 billion in economic impact through Phase I alone, and spurring an additional $4 billion in surrounding development. ICE District was always designed to function beyond game nights, with residential, office, hotel, and retail components woven together to revitalize the downtown core. For Alberta, the 2028 tournament offers an opportunity to put that infrastructure on the global stage.
Daryl Katz has long described OEG Sports & Entertainment as a “city builder,” and the 2028 tournament is a concrete expression of what that means. Katz has made Edmonton and Alberta a credible candidate to host hockey’s premier international event. The tournament reinforces his position as one of the more consequential figures in professional sports and urban development in Canada over the past decade.