Canada is the hockey odds favourite at the BetMGM online sportsbook entering the semifinals of the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
Canada defeated Team USA 4-0 in the quarterfinals and will now face Finland in an all-anticipated final-four matchup on Saturday.
The other semifinal features Switzerland and Norway.
IIHF World Championship Betting Odds 2026
Prediction: Who Will Win the 2026 IIHF World Championship?
I predict Canada will win the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
Misha Donskov’s team rolled through the preliminary round undefeated, winning all seven games, one of which came in overtime against Norway.
They put together a solid 60 minutes against Team USA in the quarterfinal. Macklin Celebrini and Dylan Holloway scored in the first and second period, respectively, and Canada received a sublime performance from Jet Greaves, who turned aside 34 shots for the shutout.
Finland played up to its potential in the 4-1 defeat of Czechia. It has won seven of eight games, with the only setback coming against a Switzerland team that is 8-0 entering its semifinal against Norway.
Finland almost has as much depth as Canada, with 13 NHLers representing the nation, including arguably the world’s best two-way centre, Aleksander Barkov, who is enjoying a superb tournament after returning from a long-term knee injury.
Finland has allowed more than one goal once in eight games. That occurred in a 4-2 loss to Switzerland.
Despite Norway’s impressive tournament thus far, Switzerland, the only remaining team with a perfect record, is expected to win that semifinal.
Switzerland enjoyed another excellent outing, beating Sweden 3-1 in its final-eight matchup.
IIHF World Championship Favourites
Canada is on top of the odds leaderboard (+105), with Switzerland (+165) closing the gap slightly after the quarterfinals.
Switzerland’s odds improved from +250 to +165 after the win over Sweden, while Finland’s odds decreased from +325 to +375 despite beating Czechia in the quarters.
Canada’s odds moved from +115 to +105, and Norway has the longest odds to win (+2800).
Who’s Hosting the 2026 IIHF World Championship?
Switzerland is hosting the 2026 IIHF World Championship, with games in Zurich and Fribourg.
What’s the IIHF World Championship Format?
The 16 participants are divided into two eight-team groups, where they will play a single round-robin.
The top four teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals, where a crossover takes place. The top-ranked team from Group A will play the fourth-ranked team from Group B, while the No. 1 seed in Group B faces the No. 4 seed in Group A.
The four teams that advance to the semifinals are ranked based on the round-robin, and the No. 1 seed will face the No. 4 seed, while No. 2 and No. 3 will battle for a place in the gold medal game.
Who Has Won the Most IIHF World Championships?
| Team | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Medals |
| Canada | 28 | 16 | 9 | 53 |
| Soviet Union/Russia | 27 | 10 | 10 | 47 |
| Czechoslovakia/Czechia | 13 | 13 | 22 | 48 |
| Sweden | 11 | 19 | 19 | 49 |
| Finland | 4 | 9 | 3 | 16 |
| USA | 3 | 9 | 9 | 21 |
| Great Britain | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Slovakia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 5 | 8 | 13 |
| Germany/West Germany | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Austria | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Latvia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
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