- 2026 IIHF World Championship: Friday May 15 to Sunday May 31
- FREE Stream: ORF enabled (Austria, some games)
- American feed: NHL Network via Sling TV
- Access your usual streaming services with NordVPN
Watch live streams from the 2026 IIHF World ChampionshipAs new Olympic champions, the United States looks to defend its world title in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland. The United States joins 15 of the world’s best teams, including a Canadian team out for revenge, for a festival on ice.
Canada could even start as slight favorites, with San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini, superb at the Olympics, leading a team desperate for revenge. Hell, Sidney Crosby even agreed to be recalled to the Canucks squad for this tournament after Olympic and World Quarterfinal losses over the past 12 months.
Elsewhere, Switzerland has much of the team that finished second at the last two tournaments, but a new coach (Jan Cadieux) after Patrick Fischer was sacked over a fake COVID-19 vaccine passport.
Finland will also feature prominently, with Anton Lundell of the Florida Panthers among its star players. But it’s the successes, the fights and the intrigues that make it the greatest show on ice.
Here’s how to watch the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship from anywhere, including TV channels, broadcasters and other channels around the world. free live streams below.
How to watch the 2026 IIHF World Championship for FREE
Ice hockey fans living in Austria are in luck: there are FREE options to live stream the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
Some games, including those featuring Austria, will be broadcast on a free broadcast channel and streaming service. ORF enabled. Sign up with a free account to start watching.
In the United States, NHL Network is the exclusive home of the IIHF World Champions.[, which can be accessed directly or via ‘over the top’ streaming providers that offer free trials, our favorites are:
Traveling outside your home country for the tournament? Use NordVPN to get past geo-blockers and tune in to your regular ice hockey live streams.
Use a VPN to watch any IIHF World Championship 2026 stream
Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the IIHF World Championship 2026 on your usual subscription?
You can still watch the IIHF World Championship 2026 live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country, regardless of where in the world you are, making it ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It’s the best on the market:
It’s really straightforward to use a VPN to watch the IIHF World Championship 2026.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we’ve said, NordVPN is one of our favorites.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For example, if you want to watch the ORF On stream, select ‘Austria’ from the listed countries.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to ORF On’s website and tune into IIHF World Championship 2026.
How to watch IIHF World Championship 2026 live streams in the US
In the United States, the 2026 IIHF World Championship is broadcast on NHL Network.
NHL Network is available on various cable packages and could very well be included in yours, but what if you’re looking for a cable alternative that carries hundreds of other channels?
NHL Network is also available on our favorites Sling TV via its Sports Extra add-on. This extra is $11 per month, which can be added to the $19.99/month Essentials plan, which already includes ESPN and ESPN2.
DirectTV MySports Genre Pack features the NHL Network and costs $64.99/month after the 5-day FREE trial we mentioned earlier. Plus, new customers get $20 off each for their first two months.
Fubo also carries NHL Network. After the aforementioned 7-day trial, its Pro tier costs from $73.99 per month, although early discounts are often available.
Outside the United States for this tournament? To use NordVPN to unblock your 2026 IIHF World Championship stream.
How to watch 2026 IIHF World Championship live streams in Canada
Ice hockey fans in Canada can live stream the 2026 IIHF World Championship on the TSN channel network.
If you don’t have cable, the TSN Plus streaming service costs CA$8 per month or $80 per year.
Outside of Canada as the 2026 IIHF World Championship takes place? Simply use a VPN to watch from abroad.
How to watch 2026 IIHF World Championship live streams in the UK
Unfortunately, there are currently no confirmed broadcasters for the 2026 IIHF World Championship in the UK.
This means ice hockey fans in Blighty will have to take advantage of the comprehensive coverage provided by IIHF.tvwhere a tournament pass costs €30.
Premier Sports have had rights in previous years, but it doesn’t seem like that’s the case this time around. We will, however, continue to check and update this page if a late agreement is reached.
Are you on holiday in the UK at the moment? To use NordVPN to access your usual ice hockey streams.
How to watch Italian Open 2026 live streams in Australia
It’s the same in Australia, where there is no broadcaster for the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
Don’t worry, as complete coverage of the IIHF World Championship is provided by IIHF.tv in Australia, where a tournament pass costs €30 (~AU$49).
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to follow all the action on beIN Sports as if you were at home.
How to watch 2026 IIHF World Championship live streams in New Zealand and RoW
In New Zealand and many other countries around the world, IIHF.tvwhere a tournament pass costs €30, is the place to go.
Are you missing a match due to work commitments abroad? NordVPN will give you access to your home streaming service.
Questions and Answers on the 2026 IIHF World Championship
What are the groups for the 2026 IIHF World Championship?
Group A
USA
Swiss
Finland
Germany
Latvia
Austria
Hungary
Great Britain
Group B
Canada
Suede
Czechia
Denmark
Slovakia
Norway
Slovenia
Italy
What is. the IIHF World Championship schedule?
GROUP PHASE
Friday May 15
10:20 a.m. – Canada vs. Sweden
10:20 a.m. — Finland vs Germany
2:20 p.m. — United States vs. Switzerland
2:20 p.m. – Czechia vs Denmark
Saturday May 16
6:20 a.m. – GBR v Austria
6:20 a.m. — Slovakia vs Norway
10:20 a.m. – Hungary vs Finland
10:20 a.m. — Italy vs. Canada
2:20 p.m. — Switzerland vs Latvia
2:20 p.m. – Slovenia vs Czechia
Sunday May 17
6:20 a.m. – GBR vs USA
6:20 a.m. — Italy vs Slovakia
10:20 a.m. – Austria vs Hungary
10:20 a.m. — Denmark vs Sweden
2:20 p.m. – Germany vs Latvia
2:20 p.m. — Norway vs Slovenia
Monday May 18
10:20 a.m. — Finland vs. United States
10:20 a.m. – Canada vs. Denmark
2:20 p.m. – Germany vs Switzerland
2:20 p.m. – Sweden vs Czechia
Tuesday May 19
10:20 a.m. – Latvia vs Austria
10:20 a.m. – Italy vs Norway
2:20 p.m. — Hungary vs GBR
2:20 p.m. — Slovenia vs Slovakia
Wednesday May 20
10:20 a.m. – Austria vs Switzerland
10:20 a.m. – Czechia vs Italy
2:20 p.m. – United States vs. Germany
2:20 p.m. — Sweden vs Slovenia
Thursday May 21
10:20 a.m. — Latvia vs Finland
10:20 a.m. – Canada vs. Norway
2:20 p.m. — Switzerland vs GBR
2:20 p.m. — Denmark vs Slovakia
Friday May 22
10:20 a.m. – Germany vs Hungary
10:20 a.m. — Canada vs. Slovenia
2:20 p.m. — Finland vs GBR
2:20 p.m. — Sweden vs. Italy
Saturday May 23
6:20 a.m. – Latvia vs. United States
6:20 a.m. — Denmark vs Slovenia
10:20 a.m. – Switzerland vs Hungary
10:20 a.m. — Slovakia vs Czechia
2:20 p.m. – Austria vs Germany
2:20 p.m. — Norway vs Sweden
Sunday May 24
10:20 a.m. – GBR v Latvia
10:20 a.m. — Denmark vs Italy
2:20 p.m. — Finland vs Austria
2:20 p.m. – Slovakia vs Canada
Monday May 25
10:20 a.m. – United States vs. Hungary
10:20 a.m. – Czechia vs. Norway
2:20 p.m. — Germany vs. GBR
2:20 p.m. – Slovenia vs Italy
Tuesday May 26
6:20 a.m. – Hungary vs Latvia
6:20 a.m. — Norway vs Denmark
10:20 a.m. – USA vs Austria
10:20 a.m. — Sweden vs Slovakia
2:20 p.m. – Switzerland vs Finland
2:20 p.m. – Czechia vs. Canada
playoffs
Quarter-finals
Thursday May 28
10:20 a.m. — Quarter-final 1
10:20 a.m. — Quarter-final 2
2:20 p.m. — Quarter-final 3
2:20 p.m. — Quarter-final 4
Semi-finals
Saturday May 30
9:20 a.m. — Semi-final 1
2:00 p.m. — Semi-final 2
Finals
Sunday May 31
9:30 a.m. — Playoffs for third place
2:20 p.m. — 2026 IIHF World Championship Final
(All times ET)
Who are the recent IIHF world champions?
2025 – United States
2024 – Czechia
2023 – Canada
2022 – Finland
2021 – Canada
2020 – N/A
2019 – Finland
2018 – Sweden
2017 – Sweden
2016 – Canada
Who has won the most gold medals at the IIHF World Championships?
Calendar
- Canada – 28
- Soviet Union/Russia – 27
- Czechoslovakia/Czechia – 13
- Sweden – 11
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