The 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland continued on May 24, 2026, with a high-stakes slate of games at the Swiss Life Arena in Zurich and the BCF Arena in Fribourg. As the preliminary round approaches its conclusion, the intensity has ramped up for both playoff positioning and relegation survival.
Group A
Venue: Swiss Life Arena, Zurich
🇫🇮 Finland 5, 🇦🇹 Austria 2
Finland maintained its perfect record with a methodical 5-2 victory. The Finns utilized a balanced attack with goals from five different players: Mikael Granlund, Saku Maenalanen, Sakari Manninen, Patrik Puistola, and Jesse Puljujarvi, who also added an assist. Austria kept the scoreline respectable with goals from Benjamin Nissner and Leon Waller, but they were outshot 35-17. This result keeps Finland level on points with tournament host Switzerland ahead of their highly anticipated showdown on Tuesday.
Box Score Details:
Goal Scorers (FIN): M. Granlund, S. Maenalanen, S. Manninen, P. Puistola,
J. PuljujarviGoal Scorers (AUT): B. Nissner, L. Waller
🇱🇻 Latvia 6, 🇬🇧 Great Britain 0
Latvia kept its quarter-final dreams alive with a commanding 6-0 shutout. Eduards Tralmaks was the standout, recording a goal and two assists in his tournament debut. The victory officially confirms Great Britain’s relegation to Division IA for the 2027 championship. Latvia’s captain, Rudolfs Balcers, moved to six goals for the tournament, tying a national record dating back to 1939.
Box Score Details:
Goal Scorers (LAT): E. Tralmaks, R. Balcers, M. Dzierkals, D. Smirnovs,
H. Egle, K. RenarsGoal Scorers (GBR): None.
Group B
Venue: BCF Arena, Fribourg
🇨🇦 Canada 5, 🇸🇰 Slovakia 1
In a pivotal Group B clash, Canada overcame a defensive deadlock to defeat Slovakia 5-1. The game remained close through two periods, but the Canadians surged in the third with four unanswered goals to keep their 6-0 undefeated streak intact. The win reinforces Canada’s position at the top of the Group B standings as they head toward the final days of the preliminary round.
Box Score Details:
Goal Scorers (CAN): D. Cozens, M. Celebrini, R. O’Reilly, J. Tavares, G. Vilardi
Goal Scorers (SVK): K. Pospisil
🇩🇰 Denmark 3, 🇮🇹 Italy 2 (OT)
Denmark secured a vital two points in an overtime thriller against Italy. While the specific overtime goal scorer and full box score statistics for this individual match are pending final IIHF validation, the result leaves Italy at the bottom of the Group B standings with only a single point, while Denmark battles to remain in contention for the lower tier of the table.
Box Score Details:
Goal Scorers (DEN): C. Wejse, M/ Aagaard, P. Russell (OT winner)
Goal Scorers (ITA): T. Purdeller (2)
Summary of Results
| Game | Group | Venue | Result |
| FIN vs. AUT | A | Swiss Life Arena | 5-2 |
| LAT vs. GBR | A | Swiss Life Arena | 6-0 |
| CAN vs. SVK | B | BCF Arena | 5-1 |
| DEN vs. ITA | B | BCF Arena | 3-2 (OT) |
IIHF World Championship Standings
Group A (Zurich)
| Rnk | Team | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF:GA | Pts |
| 1 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35:5 | 18 |
| 2 | 🇫🇮 Finland | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24:5 | 18 |
| 3 | 🇦🇹 Austria | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14:20 | 9 |
| 4 | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16:16 | 9 |
| 5 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 17:19 | 7 |
| 6 | 🇺🇸 USA | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 14:17 | 5 |
| 7 | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10:23 | 3 |
| 8 | 🇬🇧 Great Britain | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4:29 | 0 |
Group B (Fribourg)
| Rnk | Team | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF:GA | Pts |
| 1 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25:10 | 17 |
| 2 | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16:10 | 13 |
| 3 | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 18:10 | 11 |
| 4 | 🇳🇴 Norway | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17:10 | 10 |
| 5 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 23:14 | 9 |
| 6 | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 12:22 | 5 |
| 7 | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8:24 | 3 |
| 8 | 🇮🇹 Italy | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4:23 | 1 |
