Canada and Sweden played the opening match of the Ice Hockey World Championship for the first time in 65 years. The last time the teams faced each other at the start of the world championship was in 1961, when Canada thrashed their opponents 6–1.
The Canadian national team got off to a winning start at the 2026 Ice Hockey World Championship. In their opening match, they defeated the Swedish national team 5–3.
The match featuring one of the favourites proved to be an interesting one. Finland was ranked third in the IIHF power rankings, while Germany was seventh. In the end, the match ended in a 3-1 victory for the Finns.
The US ice hockey team, the reigning world and 2026 Olympic champions, suffered a defeat at the start of this year’s world championship against Switzerland, the tournament hosts. In the first period, the American players conceded two goals and managed to score only one by the end of the match.
The Czech Republic, another team traditionally ranked among the top national sides, defeated Denmark 4-1 in their second Group B match. The Czechs led 2-0 after the first period and scored two more goals in the final 20 minutes.
2026 World Championship. First round
Canada — Sweden 5–3 (2–0, 1–3, 2–0)
Finland — Germany 3–1 (1–0, 0–0, 2–1)
USA — Switzerland 1–3 (0–2, 0–0, 1–1)
Czech Republic — Denmark 4–1 (2–0, 0–0, 2–1)
The second day of play was just as exciting.
The Canadian national team faced Italy, who returned to the top flight last season. The North American side won 6–0.
The Swiss and Finnish national teams also managed to secure victories. They defeated Latvia and Hungary respectively.
In the match between Slovenia and the Czech Republic, the game ended 2–2 after regulation time. Slovenia ultimately claimed victory.
Results from the second day of the 2026 World Championship
Great Britain — Austria 2–5 (2–3, 0–2, 0–0)
Slovakia — Norway 2–1 (1–0, 0–1, 1–0)
Italy — Canada 0–6 (0–3, 0–3, 0–0)
Hungary – Finland 1–4 (0–0, 1–3, 0–1)
Slovenia – Czech Republic 3–2 OT (1–0, 0–2, 1–0, 1–0)
Switzerland – Latvia 4–2 (0–0, 2–1, 2–1)
