The 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship marks the first time the tournament has been co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands — two nations with no historical footprint in elite international hockey. The decision to issue a circulation-quality brass commemorative rather than a silver or bimetallic collector piece reflects the Belgian mint's strategy of keeping low-denomination commemoratives accessible, a policy formalized after the 2012 reform of the country's commemorative coin program.
The 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship marks the first time the tournament has been co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands — two nations with no historical footprint in elite international hockey. The decision to issue a circulation-quality brass commemorative rather than a silver or bimetallic collector piece reflects the Belgian mint's strategy of keeping low-denomination commemoratives accessible, a policy formalized after the 2012 reform of the country's commemorative coin program.