Inaugurated in 1996, it is the successor to the Canada Cup, which was held every three to five years from 1976 to 1991 and was the first international hockey championship to allow nations to field their top players.

[3] Taking inspiration from soccer's FIFA World Cup, Eagleson proposed a new tournament that would bring together all the top hockey–playing nations.

After successful negotiations with hockey officials from the Soviet Union in September 1974, Eagleson began arranging the Canada Cup tournament, which debuted in 1976.

The tournaments, held every three to five years, took place in North American venues prior to the start of the National Hockey League (NHL) regular season.

On January 24, 2015, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the 2016 World Cup of Hockey to be held in September 2016 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

[7][8] In August 2019, it was reported that a World Cup could take place in February 2021 if the CBA could be extended or renewed;[9] however, this was ruled-out by the NHL later that year.