It was after a proposal from several European leagues that the International Hockey Association (IIHF) made the decision at its congress on Monday. The World Cup in Minsk and Riga will therefore be played on May 21-June 6. Several leagues are planning to postpone the start of the season in the fall to avoid playing without crowds.

How SHL does is spiked on Tuesday, but the no-nonsense has previously been that the league is ready to start on September 19 as planned - even if it is without an audience.

However, there are big questions as to whether the NHL players can participate in the World Cup. If this year's season concludes, the next season will begin a record-breaking season, NHL manager Gary Bettman has previously said he does not rule out the season starting with the Winter Classic, the fixture that will be played on January 1.

This year's Ice Hockey World Cup in Switzerland was canceled entirely due to the corona crisis.

Minsk will be the main venue for the World Cup and there will also be the medal matches. Previously, the groups were drawn and Tre Kronor will play their group play in Minsk together with Russia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia, Denmark, Belarus and the UK.

At the congress, Sweden was also awarded the next junior junior championship (U18) for women. The tournament will be played in Linköping and Mjölby on 5-12 January 2021.

ARCHIVE: Three Kronors World Cup Gold 2018

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