US, Canada in same group at 2021 men's Hockey World Championship

WASHINGTON - The United States and Canada were drawn into the same group at the 2021 men's Hockey World Championship, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) said on Wednesday.

The North American rivals are in Group B to be played in Riga, Latvia. The two teams will be joined by defending champion Finland, Germany, Norway, Italy, Kazakhstan and host Latvia.

The tournament, to be played in May 2021, will be co-hosted by Minsk, Belarus and Riga, Latvia.

Belarus will meet its neighbor Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia, Denmark and Britain in Group A in Minsk.

Minsk, the capital of Belarus, will serve as main venue and host one group, two quarterfinals, both semifinals and the medal games, while Riga, Latvia's capital, is just a one-hour flight away from Minsk and will host one of the group stages and two quarterfinals.

Finland won the 2019 title while the 2020 tournament in Switzerland was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The IIHF said the 2021 tournament schedule will be published at a later date.