Hockey World Cup finals to be screened at Prague's Old Town Square

The Czech Republic will play for either a gold or bronze medal at this year's IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships, which are currently underway in Prague. If you don't have a ticket to see the finals at O2 Arena, you can still watch the games alongside thousands of local fans in the Czech capital's city center.

Sunday's games for first and third place at the hockey championships will be projected on a large screen at Prague's Old Town Square. The bronze medal match will begin on Sunday, May 26, at 3:20 p.m., followed by the gold medal match at 8:20 p.m.

The screenings will be managed by Taiko, who also organizes the seasonal markets on Old Town Square, with amenities such as refreshment stalls also available. No program is scheduled for Saturday's semi-final matches; projections will only occur on Sunday.

"The city will provide screenings for Sunday's matches for the third place and overall victory at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship 2024 on the large screen at the Old Town Square," Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda says through a press release.

"Installation of some equipment will begin on Saturday, with the program starting on Sunday at 1 p.m. The city will not provide screenings of championship matches at Old Town Square on Saturday; a fan zone will be available near the Prague Arena."

Both matches will be broadcast with live audio commentary in collaboration with Czech Television. Refreshment and beverage stands will also be available onsite. Refreshment sales will cease at 10 p.m. due to noise restrictions, and the screening itself will be organized to minimize disruption to the surroundings.

"I am very pleased that we managed to arrange the screening of this exceptional sporting event at the Old Town Square," adds Antonín Klecanda, Prague's city councilor for sports.

"I believe the atmosphere will be similar to that in 1998 when I watched the victorious match at the Nagano Olympics right here at Old Town Square. Winning gold at the World Championships after a long 14 years on home soil would be excellent. Let's go Czechs!"

The event will require partial traffic restrictions around the Old Town Square. Some streets, such as Celetná, Pařížská, Dlouhá, and Železná, will prohibit vehicle entry for safety and property protection.

Enhanced supervision of Old Town Square will be provided throughout the day by Prague's Integrated Rescue System, including paramedics, firefighters, and an increased presence of police officers and municipal guards.

"Due to the large number of people expected at the square, public transportation services, especially rail, will be enhanced throughout the day. Metro service will also be extended by one hour," adds Zdeněk Hřib, Prague's deputy mayor for transport.