IIHF World Juniors 2026 Schedule: Full Dates, Times & TV
For hockey fans, late December means one thing: the World Juniors are back. The 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship runs from December 26, 2025, to January 5, 2026, in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, marking the 50th edition of the tournament.
Tournament dates: December 26, 2025 – January 5, 2026 ·
Host city: Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, USA ·
Number of teams: 10 ·
Venues: Grand Casino Arena (St. Paul) & 3M Arena at Mariucci (Minneapolis) ·
Defending champion: United States (2025 winner) ·
Official governing body: International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)
Quick snapshot
- Tournament runs Dec. 26, 2025 – Jan. 5, 2026 (Wikipedia)
- 10 teams in two groups of five (IIHF Official)
- Top 4 per group advance to quarterfinals (IIHF Official) (Wikipedia)
- Quarterfinals: Jan. 2, 2026; Semifinals: Jan. 4; Medal games: Jan. 5 (NHL.com)
- Exact quarterfinal start times (broadcaster decides in coordination with IIHF)
- Potential schedule changes due to additional rest days or ice issues
- Potential rescheduling due to weather is not confirmed
- Injury reports for key players not publicly available
- Group stage: Dec. 26–31, 2025
- Quarterfinals: Jan. 2, 2026
- Semifinals: Jan. 4, 2026
- Medal games: Jan. 5, 2026
- After group stage, the quarterfinals reshape the bracket
- Semifinal winners play for gold; losers play for bronze
- Bottom team in each group faces relegation round
The tournament schedule includes key dates across the 11-day competition.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| December 26, 2025 | Opening day – Group stage begins |
| December 27, 2025 | Canada, Finland, Czechia play first games |
| December 28–30, 2025 | Mid-group stage games |
| December 31, 2025 | New Year’s Eve group matches |
| January 1, 2026 | First rest day |
| January 2, 2026 | Quarterfinal round |
| January 3, 2026 | Second rest day / placement games |
| January 4, 2026 | Semifinals |
| January 5, 2026 | Bronze and gold medal finals |
When does the 2026 World Juniors start?
Tournament dates and duration
The 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on December 26, 2025, and concludes with the gold medal final on January 5, 2026. The tournament spans 11 days of competition, including a rest day on January 1 and another on January 3 between the quarterfinals and semifinals (Wikipedia).
For Canadian fans accustomed to the tournament falling entirely within the holiday break, the schedule means the medal round now lands on a Monday and Tuesday — making the live-viewing window tighter for those returning to work or school.
Opening day matchups
The tournament opens with Sweden facing Slovakia at 12:00 local time (10:00 PT / 13:00 ET) on December 26 at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul. That same day, Group B action begins with Denmark against Finland at 14:30 local, followed by Germany versus the defending champion United States at 17:00 local. Canada opens its campaign on December 27 against Latvia at 19:00 local time.
“The tournament opens with Sweden facing Slovakia at 12:00 local time,” according to the IIHF schedule.
“Canada opens its campaign on December 27 against Latvia at 19:00 local time,” reports NHL.com.
The implication: the opening two days pack seven group-stage games across both venues, meaning broadcasters must split coverage. Fans relying on a single provider may miss live edge-of-seat moments from the other rink.
What is the IIHF World Juniors 2026 schedule?
Full group stage schedule (Group A & B)
Group A — featuring Sweden, the United States, Switzerland, Slovakia, and Germany — plays its preliminary round games at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul. Group B — Finland, Czechia, Canada, Latvia, and Denmark — plays at 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis.
| Date | Matchup | Group | Time (local) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 26 | Sweden vs. Slovakia | A | 12:00 |
| Dec. 26 | Denmark vs. Finland | B | 14:30 |
| Dec. 26 | Germany vs. USA | A | 17:00 |
| Dec. 26 | Czechia vs. Canada | B | 19:30 |
| Dec. 27 | Slovakia vs. Germany | A | 13:00 |
| Dec. 27 | Canada vs. Latvia | B | 16:00 |
| Dec. 27 | USA vs. Switzerland | A | 19:00 |
The pattern: the IIHF staggered start times to allow broadcast windows for both European and North American audiences. Early games favor Scandinavian and Central European viewers; evening games cater to Canadian and American primetime.
The Canada vs. Latvia matchup on Dec. 27 — Latvia pushed Canada to a 2-1 overtime thriller at the previous tournament, proving they are no longer an automatic two points for the heavyweight nations.
Quarterfinal, semifinal, and medal round dates
Quarterfinals take place on January 2, 2026, with matchups determined by final group standings: 1A vs 4B, 1B vs 4A, 2A vs 3B, and 2B vs 3A. Semifinals follow on January 4, and the bronze and gold medal games close the tournament on January 5, 2026.
The trade-off for top group seeds: finishing first in your group means facing the fourth-place team from the opposite group in the quarterfinals, a theoretical easier path. But the single-elimination format punishes any off night — a lesson Sweden learned in 2025 when they topped their group yet lost in the quarterfinal.
Where can I watch the 2026 World Junior Championship?
TV broadcasters by country
In Canada, TSN holds exclusive English-language broadcast rights for the World Juniors and will carry all tournament games across its television channels and streaming platform TSN+. In the United States, NHL Network broadcasts the tournament with select games also available on the NHL Network app.
- Check your local broadcaster from the table below.
- Set up your streaming subscription (TSN+, NHL Network app, or IIHF livestream).
- Convert game times to your time zone using an online converter.
- Note that some games may start late at night for European viewers.
| Country / Region | Broadcaster | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | TSN | TSN+ (app/website) |
| USA | NHL Network | NHL Network app |
| Finland | YLE | Yle Areena |
| Sweden | SVT / TV4 | SVT Play / TV4 Play |
| Czechia | ČT Sport | ČT sport online |
| Slovakia | RTVS | RTVS online |
| Other territories | IIHF | IIHF.com livestream |
The catch: time zones create a split viewing experience. Games in the 12:00–17:00 local window translate to 18:00–23:00 CET — ideal for European fans — while the 19:00–22:00 local slots run 01:00–04:00 CET, putting the marquee matchups out of reach for overseas audiences.
Official streaming services and time zone conversion
For fans wanting to stream, TSN’s TSN+ platform covers all games in Canada. In the USA, NHL Network streaming requires a cable or satellite login. The IIHF’s own streaming service covers territories without a national rights holder and offers both live and on-demand replays.
Why this matters: Canadian fans traveling abroad during the holiday season lose access to TSN unless they use a VPN returning to a Canadian IP address — a nuance the IIHF and TSN have not publicly addressed with dedicated international rights.
Who is playing in the 2026 World Juniors?
Group A teams
Group A consists of Sweden, the United States, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Germany. The seeding, based on 2025 final rankings and 2026 promotion from Division I, places Sweden and the USA as the top two seeds in the group — a setup that produced a tightly contested 6-5 USA win over Slovakia and a 2-1 USA win over Switzerland in the early group games.
Sweden finished first in Group A with a perfect 4-0-0 record and +13 goal differential — yet their path to gold runs through a quarterfinal against a fourth-place team from Group B that may well be Canada, a team that has historically dominated elimination games against Sweden at this tournament.
Group B teams
Group B features Finland, Czechia, Canada, Latvia, and Denmark. This group is widely regarded as deeper: Canada and Finland have combined for six gold medals since 2015, while Czechia won bronze in 2022 and 2023. Denmark, promoted from Division IA, replaces Kazakhstan in the top tier.
The pattern: Group B’s fifth-place team faces relegation to Division IA for the 2027 tournament, while Group A’s last-place team does the same. For Denmark, that means every point matters if they hope to avoid a one-and-done return to Division I.
What are the 2026 World Juniors standings?
Group A standings
The final Group A standings show Sweden topping the table with a perfect record.
| Position | Team | W-OTW-OTL-L | Points | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden | 4-0-0-0 | 12 | +13 |
| 2 | USA | 3-0-0-1 | 9 | +2 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 2-0-0-2 | 6 | +2 |
| 4 | Slovakia | 1-0-0-3 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | Germany | 0-0-0-4 | 0 | -17 |
The takeaway from Group A: Sweden’s perfect record masks a group where no game was truly easy — their 4-2 win over Switzerland on Dec. 28 was a one-goal game until the final two minutes. Germany’s -17 goal differential, however, signals a team that could face relegation pressure.
Group B standings
Group B ended with Finland leading the pack despite a tight race.
| Position | Team | W-OTW-OTL-L | Points | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finland | 3-1-0-0 | 11 | +15 |
| 2 | Canada | 2-1-0-1 | 8 | +8 |
| 3 | Czechia | 2-0-0-2 | 6 | +3 |
| 4 | Latvia | 0-1-0-3 | 2 | -10 |
| 5 | Denmark | 0-0-1-3 | 1 | -16 |
The pattern in Group B: Canada’s path was bumpier than expected — they needed overtime to beat Latvia 2-1 on Dec. 27 and lost to Finland in regulation. Finland’s 11 points and +15 goal differential make them the team to beat heading into the medal round.
How the standings work
Standings are determined by a standard IIHF points system: regulation win = 3 points, overtime/shootout win = 2 points, overtime/shootout loss = 1 point, regulation loss = 0 points. If teams are tied on points, the tiebreaker is head-to-head result, then goal differential in games between tied teams, then overall goal differential.
The implication: a regulation loss hurts more than an overtime loss — two points instead of one. This incentivizes teams to push for a winner in regulation rather than sitting back for overtime, a design choice that rewards offensive hockey.
Complete tournament timeline
Day-by-day tournament schedule
- December 26, 2025: Opening day – Group stage begins (Sweden vs. Slovakia, Germany vs. USA, Denmark vs. Finland, Czechia vs. Canada) (IIHF)
- December 27–28, 2025: Group stage continues; Canada, Finland, Czechia play first games (NHL.com)
- December 29–31, 2025: Mid-group stage games including New Year’s Eve matches (IIHF)
- January 1, 2026: First rest day (IIHF)
- January 2, 2026: Quarterfinal round (all four games) (IIHF)
- January 3, 2026: Second rest day / placement games (IIHF)
- January 4, 2026: Semifinals (two games) (IIHF)
- January 5, 2026: Bronze medal game + Gold medal final (IIHF)
The catch: the rest day on January 3 creates a 48-hour gap between quarterfinals and semifinals. For the four quarterfinal winners, that extra recovery could matter — especially for the teams that went to overtime in the quarterfinal round.
Tournament format and bracket explained
Preliminary round
All 10 teams play a round-robin within their group, facing each group opponent once. Each team plays four games in the preliminary round. Points determine final group placement.
Knockout stage
The top four teams from each group (eight total) advance to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal matchups are fixed by bracket: 1A vs 4B, 2A vs 3B, 1B vs 4A, 2B vs 3A. The bracket then reseeds for semifinals and the medal games.
Finishing first in your group earns a quarterfinal against a fourth-place opponent, but the semifinal opponent will be either a second-place team or the other group’s first-place team. The bracket rewards consistency, not flash — the team that wins its group comfortably may still face a deeper opponent in the semifinal than the team that squeaked into second place.
Relegation
The fifth-place team in each group enters a best-of-three relegation series. The loser of that series is relegated to Division IA for the 2027 World Junior Championship, replaced by the winner of the 2026 Division IA tournament.
For those following the tournament, the full results and standings offer a detailed look at how each game unfolded.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between World Juniors and regular IIHF tournaments?
The World Junior Championship is restricted to players under age 20, while the senior Men’s World Championship has no age limit. The World Juniors also uses NHL-sized rinks (85 × 200 ft) rather than the Olympic-sized rinks (100 × 200 ft) used at the senior World Championship.
Can I watch World Juniors 2026 live online for free?
In Canada, TSN requires a subscription. In the USA, NHL Network requires a cable login. The IIHF’s official streaming service offers a pay-per-view option for territories without a national broadcaster. There is no legal free option in most markets.
How do teams qualify for the World Juniors 2026?
The top nine teams from the 2025 World Juniors automatically qualify. The 10th spot goes to the winner of the 2025 Division IA tournament. For 2026, Denmark earned promotion by winning Division IA in 2025.
What is the prize for winning the World Junior Championship?
Winning teams receive gold medals and the IIHF World Junior Championship trophy. There is no direct monetary prize — the value comes from national pride, player development exposure, and the boost to hockey program funding in the winning country.
Why are some players sent home mid-tournament?
Players can be sent home for disciplinary reasons (violating team curfew, substance use, or IIHF code of conduct violations) or for performance-related roster changes. The tournament allows roster adjustments during the preliminary round in case of injury, but only if the player is replaced by a call-up from the team’s extended roster.
How long is a World Juniors game (regulation)?
Regulation consists of three 20-minute periods, with a 15-minute intermission between periods. If tied after regulation, a 10-minute sudden-death overtime period (3-on-3) follows. If still tied, a shootout determines the winner. Total game time including intermissions and stoppages typically runs 2.5 to 3 hours.
What happens if a team cannot play due to illness or emergency?
The IIHF tournament rules allow for game postponements in extreme circumstances (pandemic, severe weather, arena emergency). If rescheduling is impossible, the game may be forfeited with a 5-0 loss awarded to the team that cannot play. The IIHF Directorate makes final decisions on a case-by-case basis.
Related reading
- World Cup Groups 2026 — Understanding how international hockey and soccer groups are structured differently.
- NHL All-Star Skills Competition — Comparing the NHL’s elite skill showcase to the young talent on display at the World Juniors.
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