Latvia again. As in 2021, the French ice hockey team will play its next Olympic qualifying tournament (TQO) in Riga, in the Latvian capital. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) published on Tuesday the details of the TQOs for the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina. The one which concerns the Blues will be held from August 29 to September 1, 2024.
In addition to Latvia, 3rd in the world championship played last May, France will face Austria and another nation to be determined between Poland, Hungary and Great Britain. Only the winner of the TQO will qualify for the Olympics. In 2021, France failed at the gates of Beijing, losing by one breath in the last match against Latvia (2-1). The team led by coach Philippe Bozon has not played in the Olympics since 2002.