Eight teams head to Zurich for a high-stakes knockout stage, headlined by a massive rivalry clash between Canada and the USA as the quest for gold intensifies.
The preliminary round is officially over at the 2026 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Switzerland, and the quarterfinal matchups are now set.
After the final day of group play wrapped up Tuesday, the remaining eight teams locked in for a win-or-go-home Thursday. Switzerland grabbed the top spot in Group A with a late win over Finland, while Canada finished first in Group B after edging Czechia.
The biggest matchup of the round is easily Canada versus the United States, with the longtime rivals meeting in Fribourg.
Here is the full quarterfinal schedule for Thursday, May 28.
Thursday, May 28
Finland vs. Czechia
- Time: 10:20 a.m. ET (16:20 local)
- Venue: Swiss Life Arena (Zurich)
Canada vs. USA
- Time: 10:20 a.m. ET (16:20 local)
- Venue: BCF Arena (Fribourg)
Switzerland vs. Sweden
- Time: 4:20 p.m. ET (20:20 local)
- Venue: Swiss Life Arena (Zurich)
Norway vs. Latvia
- Time: 4:20 p.m. ET (20:20 local)
- Venue: BCF Arena (Fribourg)
The four remaining teams will move on to the semifinals on Saturday before the tournament wraps up with the bronze and gold medal games on Sunday. From that point on, every remaining game will be played in Zurich.
2026 IIHF World Hockey Championship Standings
Group A
- Switzerland (21 points) - moving on
- Finland (18 points) - moving on
- Latvia (12 points) - moving on
- United States (11 points) - moving on
- Germany (10 points) - eliminated
- Austria (9 points) - eliminated
- Hungary (3 points) - eliminated
- Great Britain (0 points) - relegated
Group B
- Canada (20 points) - moving on
- Norway (15 points) - moving on
- Czechia (13 points) - moving on
- Sweden (12 points) - moving on
- Slovakia (11 points) - eliminated
- Denmark (6 points) - eliminated
- Slovenia (6 points) - eliminated
- Italy (1 point) - relegated
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