- 2026 IIHF World Championship: Friday, May 15 to Sunday, May 31
- FREE streaming: ORF on (Austria, selected games)
- US Current: NHL Network via Honda TV
- Access your usual streaming services with NordVPN
Watch live streams of the 2026 IIHF World ChampionshipAs newly crowned Olympic champions, the United States looks to defend its world title in Zurich and Freiburg, Switzerland. The United States joins 15 of the world’s best teams, including a Canadian team looking for revenge, for an ice festival.
Canada may even start as a slight favorite, with Olympic-excellent San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini captaining a team desperate for revenge. Heck, Sidney Crosby even accepted a call-up to the Canucks roster for this tournament after Olympic and World Cup quarterfinal losses in the past 12 months.
Elsewhere, Switzerland has plenty of team that finished runners-up in the last two tournaments, except for a new coach (Jan Cadieux) after Patrick Fischer was fired over a fake COVID-19 vaccine passport.
Finland will also feature prominently, with Anton Lundell of the Florida Panthers among their star players. But it’s the hits, the fights and the intrigue that make this the greatest show on ice.
Here’s how to watch the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship from anywhere, including TV channels, broadcasters, and any channel 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 some FREE options to live stream the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
Some games, including those in Austria, will be broadcast free-to-air and on the streaming service. ORF on. Sign up for a free account to start watching.
In the United States, NHL Network is the exclusive home of the IIHFjo 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 US, the 2026 IIHF World Championship is broadcast on NHL Network.
NHL Network is available in several 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 favorite Honda TV through its Sports Extra plugin. That supplement is $11 per month, which can be added to the $19.99 per month Essentials plan, which already includes ESPN and ESPN2.
DirectTV MySports Genre Pack has NHL Network and costs $64.99 a month after the FREE 5-day trial we mentioned above. Plus, new customers get $20 off each of their first two months.
fubo also carries the NHL network. After the aforementioned 7-day trial, their Pro tier starts at $73.99 per month, although there are often some early bird discounts available.
Outside the United States for this tournament? Wear NordVPN to unlock your 2026 IIHF World Championship stream.
How to watch live streams of the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Canada
Ice hockey fans in Canada can live stream the 2026 IIHF World Championship on the TSN network of channels.
If you don’t have cable, the TSN Plus streaming service costs $8 Canadian per month or $80 per year.
Out of Canada while the 2026 IIHF World Championship takes place? Simply use a vpn to watch from abroad.
How to watch live streams of the 2026 IIHF World Championship in the UK
Unfortunately, there is no confirmed broadcaster for the 2026 IIHF World Championship in the UK at this time.
That means ice hockey fans in Blighty should enjoy the comprehensive coverage provided by IIHF.tvwhere a pass to the tournament costs €30.
top level sports They have had rights in previous years, but that doesn’t seem to be the case this time. However, we will continue to check and update this page in case a late agreement is reached.
Are you on holiday in the UK right now? Wear NordVPN to access your regular ice hockey streams.
How to watch live streams of the Italian Open 2026 in Australia
The same is true in Australia, where there is no 2026 IIHF World Championship broadcaster.
Don’t worry though, as IIHF.tv offers complete coverage of the IIHF World Championship in Australia, where a tournament pass costs €30 (~$49 AU).
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action on beIN Sports as if you were at home.
How to watch live streams of the 2026 IIHF World Championship 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.
Did you miss a match due to work commitments abroad? NordVPN will give you access to your streaming service at home.
Questions and answers about 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
Sweden
Czechia
Denmark
Slovakia
Norway
Slovenia
Italy
What is it. The IIHF World Championship schedule?
GROUP PHASE
Friday May 15
10:20 am – Canada vs Sweden
10:20 am – Finland vs Germany
2:20 pm – United States vs Switzerland
14:20 – Czechia vs Denmark
Saturday May 16
6:20 am – GBR vs Austria
6:20 am – Slovakia vs Norway
10:20 am – Hungary vs Finland
10:20 am – Italy vs Canada
14:20 – Switzerland vs Latvia
14:20 – Slovenia vs Czechia
Sunday May 17
6:20 am – GBR vs USA
6:20 am – Italy vs Slovakia
10:20 am – Austria vs Hungary
10:20 am – Denmark vs Sweden
14:20 – Germany vs Latvia
14:20 – Norway vs Slovenia
Monday May 18
10:20 am – Finland vs United States
10:20 am – Canada vs Denmark
14:20 – Germany vs Switzerland
14:20 – Sweden vs Czechia
Tuesday May 19
10:20 am – Latvia vs Austria
10:20 am – Italy vs Norway
14:20 – Hungary vs GBR
14:20 – Slovenia vs Slovakia
Wednesday May 20
10:20 am – Austria vs Switzerland
10:20 am – Czechia vs Italy
2:20 pm – United States vs Germany
14:20 – Sweden vs Slovenia
Thursday May 21
10:20 am – Latvia vs Finland
10:20 am – Canada vs Norway
14:20 – Switzerland vs GBR
14:20 – Denmark vs Slovakia
Friday May 22
10:20 am – Germany vs Hungary
10:20 am – Canada vs Slovenia
14:20 – Finland vs GBR
14:20 – Sweden vs Italy
Saturday May 23
6:20 am – Latvia vs United States
6:20 am – Denmark vs Slovenia
10:20 am – Switzerland vs Hungary
10:20 am – Slovakia vs Czechia
14:20 – Austria vs Germany
14:20 – Norway vs Sweden
Sunday May 24
10:20 am – GBR vs Latvia
10:20 am – Denmark vs Italy
14:20 – Finland vs Austria
14:20 – Slovakia vs Canada
Monday, May 25
10:20 am – United States vs Hungary
10:20 am – Czechia vs Norway
14:20 – Germany vs GBR
14:20 – Slovenia vs Italy
Tuesday May 26
6:20 am – Hungary vs Latvia
6:20 am – Norway vs Denmark
10:20 am – United States vs Austria
10:20 am – Sweden vs Slovakia
14:20 – Switzerland vs Finland
14:20 – Czechia vs Canada
playoffs
Quarter finals
Thursday May 28
10:20 am – Quarterfinals 1
10:20 am – Quarterfinals 2
14:20 – Quarterfinals 3
14:20 – Quarterfinals 4
Semifinals
Saturday May 30
9:20 am – Semifinal 1
14:00 – Semifinal 2
finals
Sunday May 31
9:30 am – Elimination for third place
14:20 – 2026 IIHF World Championship Final
(All times ET)
Who are the recent IIHF World Championship champions?
2025 – United States
2024 – Czechia
2023 – Canada
2022 – Finland
2021 – Canada
2020 – NA
2019 – Finland
2018 – Sweden
2017 – Sweden
2016 – Canada
Who has won the most gold medals at the IIHF World Championship?
Schedule
- Canada – 28
- Soviet Union / Russia – 27
- Czechoslovakia / Czechia – 13
- Sweden – 11
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