The men’s ice hockey World Championship is heating up going into the playoffs this Thursday. The Czech Republic is the defending champion, having beaten Switzerland in the 2024 IIHF WC final with a solid 2-0 victory. The Canadian team is looking to bounce back and win the title after a disappointing campaign last year.
The 2025 men’s ice hockey World Championship kicked off with the group stage on May 9 and concluded on May 20. The playoffs will run from Thursday, May 22, to Sunday, May 25. Denmark and Sweden are the co-hosts of this IIHF World Championship edition, and they are both still alive and qualified for the playoffs. France and Kazakhstan were relegated to Division I after finishing last in their groups.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | IIHF 2025 Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship |
| 🏒 Venue: | Jyske Bank Boxen in Denmark & Avicii Arena in Sweden |
| 🗓️ Dates: | 22 – 25 May, 2025 |
This will be the 88th edition of the IIHF World Championship, as the competition kicked off for the first time in 1920 in the Summer Olympics. Canada has won 28 titles so far, which is the most by any nation in the tournament’s history. The Soviet Union won 27 championships, while Czechia increased their gold medal tally to 13 after winning last year.
There were 16 teams participating in the group stage of the tournament, and they were split into two groups. The top four teams in each group qualified for the playoffs, which consist of single-elimination games starting with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and then the final.
Canada comfortably topped the 2025 IIHF World Championship standings of Group A, having won six games and lost only once on penalties. Sweden and Finland also suffered only one defeat, to finish second and third consecutively. The fight for the fourth qualifying spot in the group was interesting, but Austria overcame Latvia and Slovenia to take that place.
Switzerland dominated Group B as well with six wins and one loss in overtime, while the United States and Czechia did very well to clinch the second and third spots. Denmark was close to an early exit at the hands of Germany, but they beat them on penalties to finish fourth.
Canada and Finland have won two titles each in the last five editions, while the Czech Republic won the title last year for the first time since 2010.
Here’s a look at the best ice hockey betting websites for the men’s ice hockey World Championship 2025 betting odds:
Canada failed to reach the final last year for the first time since 2018, when they finished fourth. Team Canada consists entirely of NHL stars except for one player, so they have great experience and should bounce back successfully if they bring their best form.
Sweden is one of the hosts of the tournament, so that will give them a big push in the playoffs when they need the crowd support the most. The Three Crowns haven’t won the championship since winning back-to-back in 2017 and 2018, but they showed improvement last year and won the bronze medal.
Switzerland has topped their group for the third time in the last four editions, but they usually don’t perform at that high level in the playoffs for some reason. The Swiss team is tied for the second-best offense in the tournament, and they also have the third-best defense.
The United States is another team that is filled with NHL players, and they have performed well so far in the tournament. Team USA got knocked out of the quarterfinals last year, so they can’t afford to have another early exit this time. The USA won the championship only twice, lastly in 1960.
The last time Czechia won the championship, they followed that by winning the bronze medal, but they will be aiming to win the title back-to-back this time. They had a six-game winning streak in the group stage before losing to the USA in the last game, which saw them turn their 2-1 lead into a 5-2 defeat. Their superstar, David Pastrnak, is having a great performance and leading the tournament on points.
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We will start our tips for the IIHF World Championship playoff 2025 by picking Canada to win outright. The Canadian team has some great players, like Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and Travis Konecny, and all of them are performing at a high level in the tournament so far.
Team Canada has by far the best defense in the league, conceding only seven goals in six games, which is not a surprise with a star like Marc-Andre Fleury playing as their starting goalie. Canada has the best roster in the tournament, and they have a good path to the final.
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The best NCAA hockey betting sites have some enticing odds of Sven Andrighetto scoring in this game. The Swiss forward is having an amazing tournament, scoring seven goals so far, six of which came in the last three games. The Swiss team is a huge favorite to win this game over Austria, so Andrighetto’s scoring chances are high here, especially with his fine form.
Canada has proven that they are the most consistent team in recent years, and we expect them to win the title. Make sure you use our expert picks and men’s ice-hockey WC 2025 predictions to bet on them at the best sports betting sites to have more fun watching the event.
