Canada to face United States in men’s IIHF World Championship QF

Team Canada knows their opponent in the quarterfinals of the 2026 IIHF World Championship.

Canada clinched top spot in Group B on Monday and they will now face the United States in the quarters on Thursday after the U.S. downed Austria 4-1 to claim fourth-place in Group A on Tuesday.

Canada opened as a sizeable -450 favourite to win on the World Championship odds, with the total set at 5.5.

Canada is perfect at this year’s Worlds, beating Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Slovenia and Slovakia in regulation as well as Norway in overtime. They close out the preliminary round against Czechia with nothing left to play for.

It’s been a different story for the Americans who have struggled in the tournament. Team USA alternated losses and wins against Switzerland (L), Great Britain (W), Finland (L), Germany (OTW), Latvia (L) and Hungary (W) before claiming the last quarterfinal spot in Group A with the win over Austria.

The top four teams in each group qualify for the quarterfinals, while teams 5-7 are eliminated but qualify for next year’s World Championships in Germany. The last place team in each group is relegated.

Canada vs. USA is a rematch of the 2026 Olympic gold medal game, which the Americans won 2-1 in overtime. The U.S. also won gold at last year’s World Championships, while Canada lost in the quarterfinals.