The Medicine Hat Tigers will know this afternoon whether or not they will be awarded the 2026 Memorial Cup. Eli Ridder/CHAT News

By Jesse Gill

SPORTS

2026 Memorial Cup host to be announced Wednesday

Nov 27, 2024 | 9:59 AM

The winning bid to host the Canadian Hockey League’s 2026 Memorial Cup will be announced on Wednesday.

A press conference has been scheduled by the Medicine Hat Tigers for 3 p.m. Wednesday regardless of the outcome of the bid.

READ: Medicine Hat Tigers declare intent to bid for 2026 Memorial Cup

There are five cities being considered for the event, with Kelowna, B.C., Brandon, Man., Lethbridge, Alta. and Spokane, Wash. also under consideration by a CHL committee in charge of the decision.

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Medicine Hat and Lethbridge are the only two cities to have never hosted the event.

Kelowna hosted in 2004, an event the Medicine Hat Tigers participated in as the WHL Champions that year. Kelowna had been awarded the 2020 event, but that did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brandon has played host to the event twice in both 1980 and 2010.

Spokane, the lone American bid for the event, last hosted a Memorial Cup in 1998.

READ: Medicine Hat Tigers officially in running to host Memorial Cup

Medicine Hat city council in September unanimously approved, in principle, funding to support the Tigers junior hockey franchise should it win a bid to host the 2026 Memorial Cup.

The city would provide $1.25 million in cash and $655,000 through “in kind” services.

READ: Medicine Hat will support successful Tigers Memorial Cup bid with nearly $2M

The Tigers claimed Memorial Cup titles in 1987 and 1988. It also competed for the championship in 1973, 2004 and 2007.

The 2026 season is the NHL Draft year for Tigers star forward and projected first overall pick Gavin McKenna, who currently leads the WHL in scoring.

– With files from Eli Ridder