The 89th Ice Hockey World Championship kicks off on May 15 in Switzerland. For the fifth consecutive year, the Russian national team will miss the tournament due to political reasons. However, there will still be plenty of talent to watch even without Russian players. Let’s dive into team rosters and bookmaker predictions.
Where will the 2026 World Championship be held?
The tournament will take place in Switzerland, specifically in two cities: Zurich and Fribourg. The decisive matches will be held at the Swiss Life Arena in Zurich, which has a capacity of 12,000 spectators.
What is the format of the 2026 World Championship?
As per tradition, 16 teams will participate. Compared to last season, France and Kazakhstan have been relegated from the elite division, while Great Britain and Italy have been promoted to replace them.
The teams are divided into two groups of eight. During the preliminary round, each team will play the others in its group once. The top four from each group advance to the playoffs, while the last-place teams in each group will be relegated.
Group composition is as follows:
Group A
USA
Switzerland
Finland
Austria
Latvia
Germany
Great Britain
Hungary
Group B
Canada
Sweden
Italy
Denmark
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Norway
Slovenia
Who are the favorites for the 2026 World Championship?
Bookmakers have singled out one clear favorite: Canada. Betting on Canada offers odds of 2.30. The Maple Leafs failed to win gold at the Milan Olympics and will bring a true “dream team” to the World Championship. The captain’s “C” has been awarded to Macklin Celebrini, supported by genuine stars such as Mark Scheifele, Evan Bouchard, John Tavares, and Mathew Barzal. Any finish other than first place will be considered a failure.
Finland or Switzerland can be backed at odds of 6.00. Finland brings Aleksander Barkov, who has recovered from injury. Discipline has always been a strength for the Finns, and now their offense will shine as well.
As for the host nation, Switzerland will have all available stars – Roman Josi, Nico Hischier, and Nino Niederreiter. After all, it’s a home World Championship. However, there is a problem – just a month before the start, coach Patrick Fischer was fired. The reason appears contrived – a fake COVID-19 certificate from 2022. Both fans and players tried to defend the coach, but it seems there is no turning back – Switzerland will be led by Fischer’s former assistant, Jean Cadieux.
Sweden can be bet on at odds of 7.00. The odds for Tre Kronor are relatively high, as even bookmakers have grown tired of waiting for this team to break through. They always look strong in the group stage but tend to fade in the playoffs. The roster is solid, but as time has shown, that’s hardly a guarantee of success.
The USA’s chances are valued at 7.50. The reigning world champions will field a very young team this time, with Matthew Tkachuk as the only true star. There is plenty of talent, but experience is lacking. We’ll see what the Stars and Stripes can produce.
The first tier of favorites is completed by the Czech Republic, offered at odds of 11.00. There are also questions about their roster, as it remains unclear which NHL players will be available for the national team. However, the Czechs have always been a difficult opponent for any favorite.
Among the remaining teams, Slovakia (36.00) and Germany (40.00) stand out. Slovakia hopes that Juraj Slafkovský will join the tournament as it progresses, while Germany, despite missing Leon Draisaitl, expects solid reinforcements from overseas.
