How to watch IIHF World Championship 2026: FREE Live Streams & TV Channels for ice hockey, schedule & results, Day 15, final

Switzerland players celebrate reaching the IIHS World Championship final 2026
(Image credit: Getty Images /  Daniela Porcelli)
  • IIHF World Championship 2026: Friday, May 15 to Sunday, May 31
  • FREE stream: ORF On (Austria, select games)
  • US stream: NHL Network via Sling TV
  • Access your usual streaming services with NordVPN

Watch IIHF World Championship 2026 live streams, as hosts Switzerland face Finland in the gold medal final today, Sunday.

The US only sneaked through the group stage with wins over Hungary and Austria after some early struggles, then lost to Canada in the last eight. Then came another upset in a tournament defined by them – Finland beat Canada 4-2 to reach the gold medal final.

Hosts Switzerland lie in wait. They had a 100% record in the group stage, with seven wins from seven thanks to Sven Andrighetto's superb shooting, and they beat Sweden 3-1 in the last eight, before a 6-0 drubbing of Norway in the semis.

On Sunday, Canada play Norway for bronze (Norway seeking their first medal at a world championships), then it's Switzerland vs Finland for gold.

Here's how to watch the IIHF World Championship 2026 ice hockey from anywhere, including worldwide TV channels, broadcasters and any free live streams below.

IIHF World Championship 2026 Next Matches – Day 15, May 31

Swiss Life Arena

Canada vs Norway
10.20am ET / 7.20am PT / 3.20pm BST / 12.20am AEST (Mon)

Switzerland vs Finland
2.20pm ET / 11.20am PT / 7.20pm BST / 4.20am AEST (Mon)

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2026 for FREE

Ice hockey fans who live in Austria are in luck – there are some FREE options to live stream IIHF World Championship 2026.

Select games, including those featuring Austria, will be on free-to-air broadcaster and streaming service ORF On. Sign up with a free account to start watching.

In the United States, NHL Network is the exclusive home of IIHF World Championship, which can be accessed directly or via 'over the top' streaming providers that offer free trials, our favorites are:

Traveling outside your home country for the tournament? Use NordVPN to get past geo-blockers and tune in to your regular ice hockey live streams.

Use a VPN to watch any IIHF World Championship 2026 stream

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the IIHF World Championship 2026 on your usual subscription?

You can still watch the IIHF World Championship 2026 live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country, regardless of where in the world you are, making it ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:

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Get NordVPN and stream IIHF World Championship 2026 action from anywhere today.

It's really straightforward to use a VPN to watch the IIHF World Championship 2026.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is one of our favorites.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For example, if you want to watch the ORF On stream, select 'Austria' from the listed countries.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to ORF On's website and tune into IIHF World Championship 2026.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2026 live streams in the US

US flag banner

In the US, IIHF World Championship 2026 is being shown on NHL Network.

NHL Network is available on various cable packages, and could well be included in yours, but what if you're looking for a cable alternative that carries hundreds of other channels?

NHL Network is also available on our favorite Sling TV via its Sports Extra addon. That supplement is $11 a month, which can be tacked onto the $19.99/month Essentials plan, which already includes ESPN and ESPN2

DirecTV MySports Genre Pack has NHL Network, and costs $64.99/month after the 5-day FREE trial we mentioned earlier. Also, new customers get $20 off each of their first two months.

Fubo also carries NHL Network. After the aforementioned 7-day trial, its Pro tier costs from $73.99 a month, though there are often some early discounts available.

Outside the US for this tournament? Use NordVPN to unlock your stream of IIHF World Championship 2026.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2026 live streams in Canada

Canada

(Image credit: Other)

Ice hockey fans in Canada can live stream the IIHF World Championship 2026 on the TSN network of channels.

If you don't have cable, the TSN Plus streaming service costs CA$8 a month or $80 each year.

Outside Canada while the IIHF World Championship 2026 is on? Simply use a VPN to watch from abroad.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2026 live streams in the UK

UK flag

Unfortunately, there is no confirmed broadcaster for the IIHF World Championship 2026 in the UK right now.

That means ice hockey fans in Blighty will need to enjoy the comprehensive coverage provided by IIHF.tv, where a tournament pass costs €30.

Premier Sports have had rights in previous years, but it doesn't look like that's the case this time around. We'll keep checking, though, and update this page should a late deal be done.

In the UK on vacation right now? Use NordVPN to access your usual ice hockey streams.

How to watch IIHF World Championship live streams in Australia

Australian flag

(Image credit: free)

It's the same in Australia, where there is no IIHF World Championship 2026 broadcaster.

Don't worry, though, as comprehensive IIHF World Championship coverage is being provided by IIHF.tv in Australia, where a tournament pass costs €30 (~AU$49).

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action on beIN Sports as if you were back home.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2026 live streams in New Zealand and RoW

New Zealand flag

In New Zealand, and many other countries around the world, IIHF.tv, where a tournament pass costs €30, is the place to go.

Missing a game due to work commitments abroad? NordVPN will give you access to your home streaming service.

IIHF World Championship 2026 Q&A

Swipe to scroll horizontally
IIHF World Championship 2026 Group A
Header Cell - Column 0

Points

Played

W

OTW

OTL

L

Goal difference

Switzerland

21

7

7

0

0

0

+32

Finland

18

7

6

0

0

1

+20

Latvia

12

7

4

0

0

3

+7

United States

11

7

3

1

0

3

+4

Germany

10

7

3

0

1

3

+1

Austria

9

7

3

0

0

4

-12

Hungary

3

7

1

0

0

6

-24

Great Britain

0

7

0

0

0

7

-28

Swipe to scroll horizontally
IIHF World Championship 2026 Group B
Header Cell - Column 0

Points

Played

W

OTW

OTL

L

Goal difference

Canada

20

7

6

1

0

0

+20

Norway

15

7

4

1

1

1

+11

Czechia

13

7

4

0

1

2

+2

Sweden

12

7

4

0

0

3

+11

Slovakia

11

7

3

1

0

3

+2

Denmark

6

7

1

1

1

4

-11

Slovenia

6

7

1

1

1

4

-12

Italy

1

7

0

0

1

6

-23

What is the IIHF World Championship schedule and results?

GROUP PHASE

Friday, May 15
10:20 a.m. — Canada 5-3 Sweden
10:20 a.m. — Finland 3-1 Germany
2:20 p.m. — USA 1-3 Switzerland
2:20 p.m. — Czechia 4-1 Denmark

Saturday, May 16
6:20 a.m. — Great Britain 2-5 Austria
6:20 a.m. — Slovakia 2-1 Norway
10:20 a.m. — Hungary 1-4 Finland
10:20 a.m. — Italy 0-6 Canada
2:20 p.m. — Switzerland 4-2 Latvia
2:20 p.m. — Slovenia 3-2 Czechia

Sunday, May 17
6:20 a.m. — Great Britain 1-5 USA
6:20 a.m. — Italy 1-4 Slovakia
10:20 a.m. — Austria 4-2 Hungary
10:20 a.m. — Denmark 2-6 Sweden
2:20 p.m. — Germany 0-2 Latvia
2:20 p.m. — Norway 4-0 Slovenia

Monday, May 18
10:20 a.m. — Finland 6-2 USA
10:20 a.m. — Canada 5-1 Denmark
2:20 p.m. — Germany 1-6 Switzerland
2:20 p.m. — Sweden 3-4 Czechia

Tuesday, May 19
10:20 a.m. — Latvia 1-3 Austria
10:20 a.m. — Italy 0-4 Norway
2:20 p.m. — Hungary 5-0 GBR
2:20 p.m. — Slovenia 4-5 Slovakia

Wednesday, May 20
10:20 a.m. — Austria 0-9 Switzerland
10:20 a.m. — Czechia 3-1 Italy
2:20 p.m. — USA 4-3 Germany
2:20 p.m. — Sweden 6-0 Slovenia

Thursday, May 21
10:20 a.m. — Latvia 1-7 Finland
10:20 a.m. — Canada 6-5 Norway
2:20 p.m. — Switzerland 4-1 GBR
2:20 p.m. — Denmark 1-5 Slovakia

Friday, May 22
10:20 a.m. — Germany 6-2 Hungary
10:20 a.m. — Canada 3-1 Slovenia
2:20 p.m. — Finland 4-0 GBR
2:20 p.m. — Sweden 3-0 Italy

Saturday, May 23
6:20 a.m. — Latvia 4-2 USA
6:20 a.m. — Denmark 4-0 Slovenia
10:20 a.m. — Switzerland 9-0 Hungary
10:20 a.m. — Slovakia 2-3 Czechia
2:20 p.m. — Austria 2-6 Germany
2:20 p.m. — Norway 3-2 Sweden

Sunday, May 24
10:20 a.m. — GBR 0-6 Latvia
10:20 a.m. — Denmark 3-2 Italy
2:20 p.m. — Finland 5-2 Austria
2:20 p.m. — Slovakia 1-5 Canada

Monday, May 25
10:20 a.m. — USA 7-3 Hungary
10:20 a.m. — Czechia 1-4 Norway
2:20 p.m. — Germany 6-3 GBR
2:20 p.m. — Slovenia 5-1 Italy

Tuesday, May 26
6:20 a.m. — Hungary 1-8 Latvia
6:20 a.m. — Norway 4-3 Denmark
10:20 a.m. — USA 4-1 Austria
10:20 a.m. — Sweden 4-2 Slovakia
2:20 p.m. — Switzerland 4-2 Finland
2:20 p.m. — Czechia 2-3 Canada

PLAYOFFS

Quarter-finals
Thursday, May 28
10:20 a.m. — Finland 4-1 Czechia
10:20 a.m. — Switzerland 3-1 Sweden
2:20 p.m. — Canada 4-0 USA
2:20 p.m. — Norway 2-0 Latvia

Semi-finals
Saturday, May 30
9:20 a.m. — Switzerland 6-0 Norway
2 p.m. — Canada 2-4 Finland

Finals
Sunday, May 31
9:30 a.m. — Canada vs Norway
2:20 p.m. — Switzerland vs Finland

(All times ET)

What are the IIHF World Championship 2026 groups?

Group A
USA
Switzerland
Finland
Germany
Latvia
Austria
Hungary
Great Britain

Group B
Canada
Sweden
Czechia
Denmark
Slovakia
Norway
Slovenia
Italy

Who are the recent IIHF World Championship champions?

2025 – United States
2024 – Czechia
2023 – Canada
2022 – Finland
2021 – Canada
2020 – N/A
2019 – Finland
2018 – Sweden
2017 – Sweden
2016 – Canada

Who have won the most IIHF World Championship gold medals?

Schedule

  1. Canada – 28
  2. Soviet Union / Russia – 27
  3. Czechoslovakia / Czechia – 13
  4. Sweden – 11
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Andy Murray
Freelance Writer and Editor

Andy Murray is an award-winning writer and columnist, voted the Consumer Journalist of the Year at the 2015 PPA New Talent Awards. A fluent Spanish speaker and former semi-professional footballer, he was senior staff writer of world-leading football magazine FourFourTwo from 2012 to 2019 and continues to write and edit for them, national newspapers, websites, the Olympic Games and Premier League clubs.

An avid music lover since an existential introduction to The Bends by Radiohead aged 10, he has been a Glastonbury regular for decades and always lends an ear to the latest tech. For the past three years, he has tested products, subedited reviews and delved deep into the minutiae of VPNs for TechRadar.

He is not a famous tennis player.

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