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

Team Canada will look to return to the podium when they open the 2026 IIHF World Championship on Friday morning against Sweden. This year’s tournament will run from May 15 to 31 in Switzerland, with Zurich and Fribour splitting hosting duties.

The Canadians are looking to return to the podium for the first time since winning gold in 2023, while Sweden will aim to improve on back-to-back bronze medal finishes at the last two World Championships.

Canada is a -285 favourite to win on the Word Championship odds, with the total set at 5.5.

Canada vs. Sweden Men’s Hockey World Championship Betting Odds

These teams are are both powerhouses in the hockey world as the top two most medalled nations in World Championship history. Canada has won the most total medals (53) and gold medals (28) at the World Championships, while Sweden is second in total medals (49) and fourth in golds (11).

In head-to-head action across all competitions, Canada is one of the only countries with a winning record against Sweden. In 87 all-time meetings, Canada has 47 wins, 11 ties and 29 losses while outscoring the Swedes 333-227.

The teams closed out the group stage against each other in last year’s tournament, with Canada winning 5-3. Of course, Sweden got the last laugh as they beat Denmark to win the bronze medal, while Canada was shockingly bounced by Latvia in the quarterfinals.

With a stacked team headlined by Sidney Crosby and Macklin Celebrini, Canada enters this year’s tournament as a -120 favourite to win gold on the World Championship futures board. They are also -325 to win Group B and -600 to medal.

Sweden comes in with the fourth-shortest gold medal odds at +800. They are +400 second-favourites to wi Group B and a reasonable +135 to medal.

Team Canada

As mentioned, Team Canada will be headlined by Crosby and Celebrini, the only two members of Canada’s 2026 Olympic silver medal team on the World Championship roster. Crosby, one of the most decorated Canadian men’s hockey players ever, was a late addition after Mathew Barzal pulled out of the tournament with an injury.

Celebrini will look to build off a season that saw him finish fourth in the NHL in both points (115) and goals (45). The 19-year-old was hugely impressive at the biggest stage in the Olympics, leading the tournament with five goals, while his 10 points was second only to Connor McDavid.

Team Sweden

Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will lead the way as Sweden’s captain at this year’s World Championship. Ekman-Larsson will be looking for a better showing than Sweden’s seventh-place finish at this year’s Olympics, which saw him go pointless in five games.

As usual, Sweden has the most NHL players on their roster of any European team with 10. Ekman-Larsson, Mattias Ekholm and Anton Frondell headline the back-end, while Arvid Soderblom will likely be the No. 1 netminder. Up front, top draft prospect Ivar Stenberg will draw a lot of looks as a potential first overall selection in 2026.