The 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship has reached the next stage of the competition, with the final eight teams now remaining in the quarter-finals.

These eight nations have advanced through the Group Phase, where the 16 teams were initially split into two groups of eight, Group A and Group B.

The quarter-finals will take place on Friday, May 29, with matches split across Zurich and Fribourg in Switzerland.

Quick Picks

• Our pick: Finland to win
• Value bet: Canada to win
• Long shot: Sweden to win by 1

Betting Preview

The four quarter-finals have been determined based on the position each nation managed to achieve in the Group Phase of the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championships, with some surprises having occurred along the way.

For instance, defending champions and one of the favourites, the USA only just managed to qualify from Group A in fourth, setting them up for a mammoth tie on the ice against neighbours and long-time rivals, Canada.

Hosts Switzerland managed to qualify by finishing top of Group A, setting up a clash against an outsider in Sweden, while Finland and Norway will take on Czechia and Latvia, respectively.

The full schedule of quarter-final matches is as follows:

• Finland vs Czechia (02:20 AEST)
• Canada vs USA (02:20 AEST)
• Switzerland vs Sweden (06:20 AEST)
• Norway vs Latvia (06:20 AEST)

Betting Markets to Watch

We noted in our preview ahead of the competition that we thought both Canada and USA would be competing for the title.

We didn’t think the USA would play as poorly as they did in the Group Phase, leaving them to meet Canada in the quarter-finals.

Nonetheless, this game should have value. Canada are considered the big favourites to win in the moneyline.

Canada have been ruthless in attack, while the USA have been vulnerable in defence; value may be in the ‘60 Min Winning Margin’ market, with ‘Canada to win by 2’.

Switzerland are percieved as favourites to beat Sweden, but we feel there could be value in Sweden as an underdog.

The Nordic nation didn’t have the best time in the Group Phase, winning 3 of 7 matches, but they showed signs of why they are usually contenders.

The hosts have been lethal on the ice, winning all 7 games so far, but the Swedes have something about them in the IIHF World Championships.

Our Prediction

You can check out all of the IIHF World Championship betting odds at Sportsbet: our value prediction is that Canada are likely winners against the USA.

We think Finland will likely beat Czechia, while our long shot is Sweden to beat Sweden by 1 goal.

If they can stay as structured and organised as they have shown in the past, they are extremely difficult to beat on the ice and know what it takes to play well in the IIHF World Championships.