In total, 16 nations (7 women’s and 16 men’s) will compete for the title of street hockey world champion. The matches will take place at the Lonza Arena (Visp) and the Raiffeisen Arena from June 21 to 29, 2024.
The opening match will take place this Friday, June 21 in Raron between Switzerland and the United States at 8:00 p.m., just after the opening ceremony of these World Cups, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. The next day, in Visp, the Swiss will face Finland (8:30 p.m.), while on Sunday they will face the Czech Republic at 6:00 p.m.
Swiss men’s team contingent
The Swiss women’s team will also be involved in the competition from June 22, between the sites of Visp and Raron, with a match scheduled against the Czech Republic (4 p.m.). Then the following days, they will be opposed to the United States, Canada, Slovakia and Great Britain.
Swiss women’s team contingent
Thus, after Sierre in 2003 (active) and Oberwil in 2015 (active), as well as Champéry in 2002 (Junior World Championships) and Huttwil in 2007 (Junior World Championships), the 2024 World Championships will be the fifth major event organized on Swiss soil in this sport. With around thirty clubs, street hockey is a marginal sport in Switzerland, but which has potential. The sport is inexpensive and some hockey enthusiasts play it in the schoolyard or in front of their garage. Often without knowing it, every ice hockey player has already played street hockey before. A stick, a goal, a tennis ball and “let’s go”. The major nations in this sport are Canada, the United States, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In these countries, “street hockey” is a well-known team sport, with many licensed players.
The two competition venues, the Lonza Arena (Visp) and the Raiffeisen Arena (Raron), will offer a very modern infrastructure and are both very well served by public transport. Entrance to matches is free, but it is possible to purchase VIP tickets to guarantee a fixed seat.
