2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship Betting Odds, Prediction: Czechia vs. Canada

Team Canada closes out the preliminary round of the 2026 IIHF World Championship Tuesday against Czechia.

There’s not much to play for from the Canadian side as they are assured of winning Group B following a 5-1 rout of Slovakia on Sunday to remain perfect in the tournament.

It’s a different story for the Czechs, however, as a disastrous 4-1 upset loss against Norway on Monday drops Czechia to third in the group, although they are guaranteed to make the quarterfinals.

Canada is a -500 favourite to win on the IIHF World Championship odds, with the puckline set at 2.5. Czechia is a +340 underdog and the total is pegged at 5.5.

Puck drop is set for 2:20 p.m. ET an the game can be streamed on TSN in Canada.

Czechia vs. Canada men’s hockey world championship betting odds

Both teams are headed to the quarterfinals, but they’ll need to wait to find out their respective opponents.

As the winners of Group B, Canada will play the fourth-place team in Group A. Latvia currently occupies that spot, but Austria, Germany and the United States could end up there.

Czechia’s path is more uncertain. They have the same amount of points as Norway, but don’t hold the tiebreaker. As of now, the Czechs could finish anywhere from second to fourth in the group, but it’s key to finish second to avoid currently undefeated Switzerland and Finland.

As has been the case all tournament, Canada is a +100 favourite to win gold on the IIHF World Championship futures board, which they last did in 2023. Czechia has the fourth-shortest odds at +1500. The Czechs last won gold when they hosted the tournament in 2024.

Team Czechia

Czechia will need a big response after being outshot 27-18 in the loss to Norway. The Czechs were never really in the game and trailed 2-0 less than 10 minutes in. While Czechia didn’t take any penalties, their special teams still has to be better after going 0-for-3 on the power play. That’s been an issue for Czechia all tournament as they have just two power play goals on 14 chances (14.3 per cent).

This year’s Czechia roster is very European-heavy as Vancouver Canucks defenceman Filip Hronek is the only NHL regular. The team is led by 40-year-old captain and national team veteran Roman Cervenka. Fourteen players come from the Czech Extraliga and 20 played somewhere in Europe this season.

Team Canada

Canada once again waited until the third period to put their foot on the gas against Slovakia. The Canadians tallied four goals in the final frame to break a 1-1 tie. Captain Macklin Celerbrini scored the final goal, which leaves him tied for fifth in tournament scoring with nine points (3G, 6A). While the winning goal ended up coming on the power play, it was only Canada’s third marker on 14 opportunities in the tournament (21.4 per cent).

Jet Greaves seems to have taken the reigns as Canada’s starter in net. Greaves has been the fourth-best goalie statistically in the tournament, posting a 1.50 goals-against average and .931 save percentage with four wins. If Canada elects to rest Greaves, veteran Cam Talbot will get the start. In two wins, Talbot has a 2.50 GAA and .868 SV.