2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships

2026 IIHF World Junior Championship
Tournament details
Host country United States
CitiesMinneapolis
Saint Paul
Venue(s)Grand Casino Arena
3M Arena at Mariucci
DatesDecember 26, 2025 –
January 5, 2026
Teams10
Final positions
Champions  Sweden (3rd title)
Runners-up  Czechia
Third place  Canada
Fourth place Finland
Tournament statistics
Games played29
Goals scored221 (7.62 per game)
Attendance184,708 (6,369 per game)
Scoring leader Michael Hage (15 points)
Awards
MVP Vojtěch Čihař
Official website
www.iihf.com

The 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (2026 WJC) was the 50th Ice Hockey World Junior Championships, held from December 26, 2025 to January 5, 2026. Sweden won their third championship (first since 2012), defeating Czechia 4–2 in the gold medal game.[1]

Top Division

Background

The tournament returned to Minneapolis–Saint Paul after being previously co-hosted there in 1982. This was the seventh time that the United States hosted the WJC and first time since 2018.[2][3]

Venues

The tournament games were played at two arenas:[4][5][6]

Saint Paul
Minneapolis
Grand Casino Arena
Capacity: 17,954 		3M Arena at Mariucci
Capacity: 10,257

Qualified teams

Ten teams took part in the competition. Denmark returned for the first time since 2019, replacing Kazakhstan who were relegated back to Division I, Group A, after finishing last in 2025.

Team Qualification method Appearance(s)[a] Previous best performance[b]
Total First Last Streak
 United States First in 2025 50th 1977 2025 50 Champions (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021, 2024, 2025)
 Finland Second in 2025 50 Champions (1987, 1998, 2014, 2016, 2019)
 Czechia Third in 2025 50 Champions (2000, 2001)
 Sweden Fourth in 2025 50 Champions (1981, 2012)
 Canada Fifth in 2025 50 Champions (Twenty times)[c]
 Slovakia Sixth in 2025 31st 1996 31 Third place (1999, 2015)
 Latvia Seventh in 2025 10th 2006 5 Seventh place (2022, 2025)
  Switzerland Eighth in 2025 39th 1978 17 Third place (1998)
 Germany Ninth in 2025 32nd 1977 7 Fifth place (1981)
 Denmark Champions of Division I A 8th 2008 2019 1 Fifth place (2017)
  1. ^ In top division. Results in tiers below are excluded.
  2. ^ Bold text indicates they hosted that edition.
  3. ^ Canada have won in 1982, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023.

Match officials

The following officials were assigned by the IIHF to officiate the 2026 World Junior Championships.[7][8]

Referees

  • Cedric Borga
  • Andreas Huber
  • Martin Jobbágy
  • John Lindner
  • Richard Magnusson
  • Tomáš Mejzlík
  • Troy Murray
  • Alexander Österberg
  • Rocco Stachowiak
  • Adam Tobias
  • Hayden Verbeek
  • Janne Wuorenheimo

Linesmen

  • Nicholas Albinati
  • Scott Allan
  • Albert Ankerstjerne
  • Bryan Gorcoff
  • Matthew Heinen
  • Anthony LaPointe
  • Luka Mäkinen
  • Joni Pekkala
  • Luke Pye
  • Michael Stalder
  • Rasmus Strömberg
  • David Thuma

Rosters

Main article: 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships rosters

To be eligible as a junior player, a player couldn't be born earlier than 2006. A maximum of 22 skaters and 3 goalkeepers could be named to a roster, with a maximum of 20 skaters and 2 goalkeepers dressing each game.

Preliminary round

Seeding

  1. ^ a b The organizers swapped Slovakia and Canada in the group alignments to boost attendance.[9]

All times are local, CST (UTC−6).

Group A

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Sweden 4 4 0 0 0 21 8 +13 12 Quarterfinals
2  United States (H) 4 3 0 0 1 17 15 +2 9
3   Switzerland 4 2 0 0 2 10 8 +2 6
4  Slovakia 4 1 0 0 3 13 13 0 3
5  Germany 4 0 0 0 4 5 22 −17 0 Relegation round
Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Host
December 26, 2025
12:00pm		Sweden 3–2
(0–0, 2–1, 1–1)		 SlovakiaGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 5,125
Game reference
Love HärenstamGoaliesAlan LendákReferees:
John Lindner
Janne Wuorenheimo
Linesmen:
Nicholas Albinati
David Thuma
Frondell (Freij, Stenberg) (PP) – 29:051–0
Eklund (Frondell, Berglund) (PP) – 33:162–0
2–139:56 – Pobežal (Mišiak) (PP2)
2–250:55 – Tomík (Pitka)
Stenberg (Genborg) – 56:033–2
10 minPenalties8 min
32Shots25
December 26, 2025
5:00pm		Germany 3–6
(1–3, 2–3, 0–0)		 United StatesGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 14,276
Game reference
Lennart NeisseGoaliesCaleb HeilReferees:
Cedric Borga
Richard Magnusson
Linesmen:
Anthony LaPointe
Joni Pekkala
0–105:34 – Plante (Stiga, Kleber)
0–210:53 – Reid (Zellers, McMorrow)
0–315:55 – Horcoff (Ziemer, Hagens)
Kose (Händel, Schwarz) – 17:391–3
Seidl (Willhoft) – 25:462–3
2–430:31 – Zellers (Hutson, Spellacy)
Boos (Willhoft, Kretzschmar) – 31:273–4
3–534:58 – Zellers (Spellacy)
3–638:07 – Eiserman (Hutson)
6 minPenalties6 min
21Shots47
December 27, 2025
1:00pm		Slovakia 4–1
(2–0, 1–0, 1–1)		 GermanyGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 3,702
Game reference
Michal PrádelGoaliesLinus VeillardReferees:
Andreas Huber
Hayden Verbeek
Linesmen:
Luke Pye
Michael Stalder
Chrenko (Nemec, Murin) – 05:341–0
Chrenko (Nemec, Straka) (PP) – 19:122–0
Chrenko (Svrček, Radivojevič) (PP) – 33:233–0
3–151:09 – Willhoft (Lewandowski)
Beluško (SH, ENG) – 59:074–1
4 minPenalties14 min
38Shots35
December 27, 2025
5:00pm		United States 2–1
(0–0, 2–1, 0–0)		  SwitzerlandGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 13,984
Game reference
Nicholas KempfGoaliesChristian KirschReferees:
Tomáš Mejzlík
Troy Murray
Linesmen:
Nicholas Albinati
Luka Mäkinen
Ziemer (Hagens, Horcoff) – 21:121–0
1–132:34 – Sansonnens (Grossniklaus, Steiner)
Zellers (McKinney) – 34:402–1
4 minPenalties6 min
20Shots17
December 28, 2025
1:00pm		Sweden 4–2
(1–1, 0–1, 3–0)		  SwitzerlandGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 4,825
Game reference
Love HärenstamGoaliesElijah NeuenschwanderReferees:
Tomáš Mejzlík
Janne Wuorenheimo
Linesmen:
Scott Allan
Anthony LaPointe
Nilson (Sahlin Wallenius) – 00:531–0
1–114:27 – Waidacher (Muggli, Ustinkov)
1–238:22 – Steiner (Ustinkov, Muggli)
V. Björck (Freij, Frondell) – 40:572–2
Pettersson (Danielsson, Nilson) – 46:283–2
Pettersson (Stenberg) (ENG) – 59:134–2
6 minPenalties10 min
30Shots30
December 29, 2025
12:00pm		Germany 1–8
(1–1, 0–4, 0–3)		 SwedenGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 4,122
Game reference
Linus Veillard
Lukas Stuhrmann		GoaliesHerman LivReferees:
Rocco Stachowiak
Adam Tobias
Linesmen:
Bryan Gorcoff
Matthew Heinen
0–101:45 – Frondell (Freij, Eklund) (PP)
Pul (Schafer) – 07:041–1
1–221:03 – V. Björck (Boumedienne, Ohrqvist)
1–328:11 – Berglund (Sahlin Wallenius, Carell)
1–435:26 – V. Björck (Sahlin Wallenius, Danielsson) (PP)
1–539:29 – Boumedienne (Ohrqvist)
1–645:34 – Frondell (Freij) (PP)
1–757:25 – Danielsson (Petterson, Genborg) (PP)
1–859:59 – Berglund (Genborg, Håkansson)
12 minPenalties6 min
17Shots44
December 29, 2025
5:00pm		Slovakia 5–6
(2–0, 2–4, 1–2)		 United StatesGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 13,052
Game reference
Michal PrádelGoaliesCaleb HeilReferees:
Cedric Borgia
Andreas Huber
Linesmen:
Nicholas Albinati
Luka Mäkinen
Pitka (Tomík, Fabus) – 08:531–0
Chrenko (Radivojevič) (PP) – 11:152–0
2–121:50 – Spellacy (McMorrow) (SH)
Beluško (Straka) (SH) – 26:463–1
3–228:33 – McMorrow (Bednarik, Spellacy)
3–331:00 – Lee (Mooney, Zellers) (PP)
Svrček (Straka) (PP) – 34:444–3
4–439:15 – Hagens (Stiga, Reid)
4–540:18 – Hagens (Reid, Ziemer)
4–644:34 – Zellers (Ziemer, Mooney) (PP)
Chrenko (Radivojevič, Nemec) (EA) – 58:065–6
10 minPenalties8 min
31Shots41
December 30, 2025
1:00pm		Switzerland 4–0
(2–0, 2–0, 0–0)		 GermanyGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 3,805
Game reference
Christian KirschGoaliesLennart NeisseReferees:
Martin Jobbágy
Alexander Österberg
Linesmen:
Scott Allan
Joni Pekkala
Koerbler (Meier, Blessing) – 11:421–0
Reber (Muggli, Steiner) (PP) – 13:102–0
Koerbler – 21:063–0
Johnson (Sansonnens, Mottard) – 26:104–0
8 minPenalties12 min
48Shots20
December 31, 2025
12:00pm		Switzerland 3–2
(2–0, 1–0, 0–2)		 SlovakiaGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 3,864
Game reference
Elijah NeuenschwanderGoaliesMichal PrádelReferees:
Richard Magnusson
Hayden Verbeek
Linesmen:
Luke Pye
Rasmus Stromberg
Wey (Reber, Johnson) (PP) – 18:051–0
Aeschlimann (Ustinkov, Muggli) (PP) – 18:272–0
Haas (Koerbler, Meier) — 36:433–0
3–147:41 – Nemec (Chrenko, Radivojevič)
3–259:50 – Radivojevič (Nemec, Chrenko) (EA)
4 minPenalties8 min
18Shots22
December 31, 2025
5:00pm		United States 3–6
(0–1, 2–4, 1–1)		 SwedenGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 18,618
Game reference
Brady Knowling
Nick Kempf		GoaliesLove HärenstamReferees:
Troy Murray
Janne Wuorenheimo
Linesmen:
Anthony LaPointe
Joni Pekkala
0–109:17 – Juustovaara (Freij, Nilson)
0–223:01 – Genborg (Danielsson, V. Björck) (PP)
0–326:01 – Pettersson (Berglund, Håkansson)
Reid (Eiserman, Ziemer) (PP) – 28:551–3
1–432:44 – Pettersson (Berglund) (SH)
1–535:15 – Genborg (V. Björck, Danielsson) (PP)
Zellers (Ziemer, Hagens) – 36:442–5
Stiga (Mooney, Lee) (PP) – 42:303–5
3–646:43 – Stenberg (Berglund, Eklund) (PP2)
8 minPenalties12 min
31Shots43

Group B

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Canada 4 3 1 0 0 25 11 +14 11 Quarterfinals
2  Czechia 4 2 1 0 1 18 12 +6 8
3  Finland 4 2 0 1 1 19 11 +8 7
4  Latvia 4 1 0 1 2 9 17 −8 4
5  Denmark 4 0 0 0 4 8 28 −20 0 Relegation round
Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
December 26, 2025
2:30pm		Denmark 2–6
(1–3, 0–3, 1–0)		 Finland3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 2,935
Game reference
Anton WildeGoaliesPetteri RimpinenReferees:
Andreas Huber
Troy Murray
Linesmen:
Matthew Heinen
Michael Stalder
0–101:49 – Vesterinen (Kuhta, Tuuva)
0–202:19 – Kalto (Westergård, Kiviharju)
Bundegaard (Amondsen, E. Jakobsen) – 06:081–2
1–310:07 – Suvanto (Kuhta, Boelius) (PP)
1–424:45 – Koivu (Kiviharju, Ruohonen)
1–526:19 – Saarelainen (Boelius, Vanhanen) (PP)
1–631:21 – Vesterinen (Kuhta, Tuuva)
Linde (M. Jakobsen, Larsen) (PP) – 42:222–6
4 minPenalties6 min
10Shots43
December 26, 2025
7:30pm		Czechia 5–7
(1–2, 2–1, 2–4)		 Canada3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 5,502
Game reference
Michal OrsulákGoaliesCarter GeorgeReferees:
Alexander Österberg
Adam Tobias
Linesmen:
Scott Allan
Luka Mäkinen
0–113:53 – Martin (McKenna, Hage)
Poletín (Benák, Pšenička) – 17:011–1
1–217:38 – Hage (Martin, Danford)
Čihař (Benák, Man) (EA) – 24:022–2
Sikora (Čihař, Nestrašil) – 32:133–2
3–337:02 – Parekh (Reid, Desnoyers)
3–443:09 – Parekh (McKenna, Reschny) (PP)
Poletín (Sikora, Galvas) – 45:214–4
4–546:32 – Iginla (Misa, MacKenzie)
4–649:12 – MacKenzie (Hage)
Galvas (Nestrašil, Čihař) – 55:265–6
5–759:00 – Martone (Beaudoin, MacKenzie) (ENG)
6 minPenalties6 min
33Shots27
December 27, 2025
3:30pm		Latvia 1–2 OT
(0–0, 0–1, 1–0)
(OT: 0–1)		 Canada3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 4,146
Game reference
Nils MauriņšGoaliesJack IvankovicReferees:
Martin Jobbágy
Richard Magnusson
Linesmen:
Albert Ankerst Jerne
Rasmus Strömberg
0–122:22 – Reschny (McKenna, Brunicke) (PP)
Bērzkalns (Sārts, Diļevka) – 58:021–1
1–260:44 – Hage (McKenna, Parekh) (PP)
29 minPenalties6 min
27Shots38
December 27, 2025
7:30pm		Denmark 2–7
(1–2, 1–3, 0–2)		 Czechia3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 3,067
Game reference
Anton WildeGoaliesMatyáš MaříkReferees:
Cedric Borga
Rocco Stachowiak
Linesmen:
Bryan Gorcoff
Matthew Heinen
0–102:56 – Čihař (Galvas, Nestrašil)
Petersen (E. Jakobsen, Olesen) – 05:531–1
1–211:57 – Kubiesa (Sikora, Galvas) (PP)
1–321:45 – Nestrašil (Jiříček, Benák) (PP)
Larsen (Baerentsen) – 24:392–3
2–431:20 – Jiříček (Novotný)
2–535:01 – Hoch (Klíma)
2–645:41 – Galvas (Sikora, Novotný) (PP)
2–746:39 – Žemlička
35 minPenalties6 min
22Shots53
December 28, 2025
3:30pm		Finland 8–0
(3–0, 2–0, 3–0)		 Latvia3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 3,152
Game reference
Petteri RimpinenGoaliesMikus VecvanagsReferees:
Alexander Österberg
Adam Tobias
Linesmen:
Bryan Gorcoff
David Thuma
Hemming (Vanhanen) – 04:111–0
Kuhta (Westergård) – 14:192–0
Westergard (Nykyri, Miettinen) – 19:163–0
Hemming (Vanhanen, Kiviharju) (PP2) – 21:374–0
Saarelainen (Ruohonen, Boelius) – 34:065–0
Vesterinen (Nykyri, Kuhta) – 42:516–0
Ruohonen (Koivu, Piiparinen) – 45:357–0
Boelius (Ruohonen, Saarelainen) – 50:318–0
4 minPenalties6 min
41Shots7
December 29, 2025
2:30pm		Finland 1–2 OT
(0–1, 0–0, 1–0)
(OT: 0–1)		 Czechia3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 3,235
Game reference
Petteri RimpinenGoaliesMichal OrsulákReferees:
Troy Murray
Hayden Verbeek
Linesmen:
Albert Ankerst Jerne
Luke Pye
0–101:52 – Kubiesa (Galvas, Čihař) (PP)
Hemming (Tuuva, Ruohonen) (EA) – 59:401–1
1–263:39 – Jiříček (Sikora, Čihař)
31 minPenalties10 min
24Shots26
December 29, 2025
7:30pm		Canada 9–1
(3–0, 2–1, 4–0)		 Denmark3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 4,401
Game reference
Carter GeorgeGoaliesPatrick TiedjenReferees:
Martin Jobbágy
Janne Wuorenheimo
Linesmen:
Joni Pekkala
Rasmus Strömberg
McKenna (Hage, Martin) (PP) – 03:171–0
Cootes (Iginla, Verhoeff) – 08:362–0
Parekh (Desnoyers, Beaudoin) – 10:033–0
3–120:28 – Klyvo
Martone (Parekh, Misa) (PP) – 26:114–1
McKenna (Martin, MacKenzie) – 35:035–1
Misa (Martone, Aitcheson) – 44:416–1
McKenna (Hage, Martin) – 45:447–1
Aitcheson (Desnoyers, O'Reilly) – 54:168–1
Martone (Misa, Iginla) – 54:409–1
2 minPenalties6 min
49Shots13
December 30, 2025
3:30pm		Latvia 6–3
(1–0, 3–2, 2–1)		 Denmark3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 2,781
Game reference
Nils MauriņšGoaliesAnton WildeReferees:
John Lindner
Tomáš Mejzlík
Linesmen:
Anthony LaPointe
Michael Stalder
Sārts (Osmanis, Ansons) – 16:521–0
Šmits (Ansons, Murnieks) (PP) – 23:002–0
2–131:37 – Larsen (Bundegaard, Petersen)
Sieradzkis (Šmits, Ansons) (PP) – 34:543–1
Antons Macijevskis (Vītols, Naudiņš) – 36:434–1
4–238:31 – Bundegaard (Larsen, Rundh)
Osmanis (Šmits, Sieradzkis) (PP) – 49:525–2
5–358:43 – Linde (M. Jakobsen, Bundegaard) (EA)
Šmits (Murnieks) (ENG) – 59:596–3
8 minPenalties14 min
42Shots12
December 31, 2025
2:30pm		Czechia 4–2
(2–1, 1–0, 1–1)		 Latvia3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 3,301
Game reference
Matyáš MaříkGoaliesNils Mauriņš
Mikus Vecvanags		Referees:
Cedric Borga
Adam Tobias
Linesmen:
Albert Ankerstjerne
Luka Makinen
0–106:00 – Ansons (Osmanis, Šmits) (PP)
Poletín (Galvas, Curran) – 10:041–1
Jiříček (Benák, Nestrašil) (PP) – 11:192–1
Pšenička (Curran, Man) – 25:313–1
3–246:39 – Sieradzkis (Osmanis, Murnieks) (PP)
Nestrašil (Čihař) (ENG) – 58:434–2
12 minPenalties10 min
29Shots10
December 31, 2025
7:30pm		Canada 7–4
(3–3, 2–1, 2–0)		 Finland3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 7,582
Game reference
Carter GeorgeGoaliesPetteri RimpinenReferees:
John Lindner
Rocco Stachowiak
Linesmen:
Matthew Heinen
David Thuma
Parekh (Martone, Iginla) – 01:131–0
1–103:54 – Miettinen (Vanhanen)
Martin (Hage, McKenna) – 04:262–1
2–205:40 – Suvanto (Vesterinen)
Martin (Hage, Parekh) (PP) – 10:403–2
3–312:59 – Boelius (Vanhanen, Kuhta) (PP)
Iginla (Parekh, George) (PP) – 29:354–3
Beaudoin (Desnoyers, O'Reilly) – 37:055–3
5–437:40 – Vesterinen
Beaudoin (O'Reilly, Desnoyers) – 48:206–4
O'Reilly (Beaudoin) (ENG) – 58:567–4
10 minPenalties8 min
32Shots18

Relegation round

January 2, 2026
11:30am		Germany 8–4
(2–1, 2–2, 4–1)		 Denmark3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 2,645
Game reference
Linus VieillardGoaliesAnton WildeReferees:
Tomáš Mejzlík
Hayden Verbeek
Linesmen:
Michael Stalder
Rasmus Strömberg
Lewandowski (Willhoft, Boos) – 03:371–0
Schäfer (Boos, Händel) (PP) – 07:062–0
2–117:10 – Klyvo (Larsen, M. Jakobsen) (PP)
Schams (Lewandowski, Boos) – 22:083–1
Seidl (Willhoft) – 24:484–1
4–226:28 – Klyvo (Larsen, M. Jakobsen) (PP)
4–330:05 – Green (Bundgaard)
Willhoft (Lewandowski, Händel) (PP2) – 45:045–3
Schams (Händel, Seidl) – 50:046–3
6–451:21 – Linde (Schioldan, Klyvo)
Boos (Schäfer, Willhoft) (PP) – 52:237–4
Schwarz (Seidl, ENG) – 58:578–4
8 minPenalties10 min
37Shots22

Playoff round

Quarterfinal winners were reseeded for the semifinals in accordance with the following ranking:

  1. Placement in group
  2. Points in preliminary round
  3. Goal differential in preliminary round
  4. Number of goals scored in preliminary round
  5. Seeding coming into the tournament
Rank Team Group Pos Pts GD GF Seed
1  Sweden A 1 12 +13 21 4
2  Canada B 1 11 +14 25 5
3  United States A 2 9 +2 17 1
4  Czechia B 2 8 +6 18 3
5  Finland B 3 7 +8 19 2
6   Switzerland A 3 6 +2 10 8
7  Latvia B 4 4 –8 9 7
8  Slovakia A 4 3 0 13 6

Bracket

 
QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
 
          
 
 January 2 – Grand Casino Arena
 
 
1A
 Sweden		6
 
January 4 – Grand Casino Arena
 
4B
 Latvia		3
 
1
 Sweden (SO)		4
 
 January 2 – Grand Casino Arena
 
5
 Finland		3
 
2A
 United States		3
 
January 5 – Grand Casino Arena
 
3B
 Finland (OT)		4
 
1
 Sweden		4
 
 January 2 – 3M Arena
 
4
 Czechia		2
 
1B
 Canada		7
 
January 4 – Grand Casino Arena
 
4A
 Slovakia		1
 
2
 Canada		4
 
 January 2 – 3M Arena
 
4
 Czechia		6 Third place
 
2B
 Czechia		6
 
January 5 – Grand Casino Arena
 
3A
  Switzerland		2
 
2
 Canada		6
 
 
5
 Finland		3
 

Quarterfinals

January 2, 2026
1:00pm		Sweden 6–3
(2–1, 2–0, 2–2)		 LatviaGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 4,946
Game reference
Love HärenstamGoaliesNils MauriņšReferees:
Cedric Borgia
John Lindner
Linesmen:
Nicholas Albinati
Allan Scott
Frondell (Wallenius) – 00:101–0
1–113:07 – Ansons (Osmanis, Šmits) (PP)
Berglund (Pettersson, Genborg) – 16:152–1
Boumedienne (Freij, Stenberg) – 34:053–1
Carell (Eklund, Wallenius) – 35:404–1
Frondell (V. Björck, Freij) – 41:585–1
5–243:50 – Flugins (Klaucāns, Vītols)
Wallenius (Eriksson, Eklund) – 55:546–2
6–358:10 – Mūrnieks (Sieradzkis, Osmanis) (PP)
12 minPenalties6 min
38Shots16
January 2, 2026
3:30pm		Czechia 6–2
(0–1, 4–1, 2–0)		  Switzerland3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 3,102
Game reference
Michal OrsulákGoaliesChristian KirschReferees:
Andreas Huber
Rocco Stachowiak
Linesmen:
Anthony LaPointe
Luka Makinen
0–103:47 – Muggli (Ustinkov, Aeschlimann)
Galvas (Sikora) – 20:541–1
1–226:43 – Reber (Neuenschwander, Steiner) (PP)
Drancak (Kubiesa, Klíma) – 30:282–2
Jiříček (Benák, Poletín) – 31:123–2
Sikora (Čihař, Klíma) – 35:324–2
Klíma (Kubiesa, Fibigr) – 50:255–2
Fibigr (Čihař) (PP) – 57:376–2
8 minPenalties10 min
43Shots20
January 2, 2026
5:00pm		United States 3–4 OT
(0–0, 2–1, 1–2)
(OT: 0–1)		 FinlandGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 11,779
Game reference
Nicholas KempfGoaliesPetteri RimpinenReferees:
Troy Murray
Alexander Österberg
Linesmen:
Albert Ankerstjerne
Luke Pye
Hutson (Bednarik, Brendan McMorrow) – 20:351–0
1–124:46 – Ruohonen (Westergård)
Eiserman (Hutson, Hagens) (PP) – 30:152–1
2–252:43 – Tuuva (Kiviharju, Saarelainen)
2–353:38 – Saarelainen (Tuuva, Boelius)
Lee (Hagens, Zellers) (EA) – 58:273–3
3–462:11 – Välilä (Vanhanen, Miettinen)
4 minPenalties6 min
31Shots25
January 2, 2026
7:30pm		Canada 7–1
(5–0, 2–1, 0–0)		 Slovakia3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis
Attendance: 5,250
Game reference
Jack IvankovicGoaliesMichal Prádel
Alan Lendak		Referees:
Adam Tobias
Janne Wuorenheimo
Linesmen:
Bryan Gorcoff
David Thuma
Reschny (Verhoeff, Beaudoin) – 13:581–0
Iginla (Martone) – 14:422–0
Misa (Parekh, MacKenzie) – 16:113–0
O'Reilly (Carels, Desnoyers) – 17:034–0
Martin (McKenna, Hage) (PP) – 19:475–0
Martone (Verhoeff, Misa) – 29:316–0
Beaudoin (O'Reilly, Parekh) – 30:417–0
7–136:50 – Chovan (Kalman, Tomík)
12 minPenalties32 min
43Shots22

Semifinals

January 4, 2026
3:30pm		Sweden 4–3 GWS
(1–1, 2–1, 0–1)
(OT: 0–0)
(SO: 1–0)		 FinlandGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 7,245
Game reference
Love HärenstamGoaliesPetteri RimpinenReferees:
John Lindner
Troy Murray
Linesmen:
Matthew Heinen
David Thuma
Eriksson (Frondell, Eklund) – 00:361–0
1–116:26 – Joki (Kiviharju)
Stenberg (Berglund, Genborg) (EA) – 21:202–1
2–222:10 – Kuhta (Pikkarainen, Jokinen)
Genborg (Stenberg) – 34:073–2
3–354:01 – Saarelainen (Ruohonen, Valila)
V. Björck
Frondell
Stenberg
Eklund
Berglund
Frondell
Berglund
Frondell 		Shootout Tuuva
Vanhanen
Hemming
Kuhta
Miettinen
Vanhanen
Hemming
Vanhanen
10 minPenalties8 min
33Shots36
January 4, 2026
7:30pm		Canada 4–6
(1–1, 1–2, 2–3)		 CzechiaGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 7,215
Game reference
Jack Ivankovic
Carter George		GoaliesMichal OršulákReferees:
Alexander Österberg
Rocco Stachowiak
Linesmen:
Luka Makinen
Joni Pekkala
Iginla (Misa, Luchanko) (PP) – 15:141–0
1–116:56 – Curran (Galvas, Benák)
1–223:44 – Titlbach (Pšenička, Novotný)
Parekh (Hage, O'Reilly) (PP2) – 32:382–2
2–339:17 – Benák (Curran, Poletín)
Reschny (Hage, McKenna) – 43:593–3
3–449:49 – Čihař (Nestrašil)
Martone (Brunicke, Aitcheson) – 57:194–4
4–558:46 – Poletín (Curran, Benák)
4–659:34 – Čihař (Sikora) (PP) (ENG)
12 minPenalties8 min
24Shots37

Bronze medal game

January 5, 2026
3:30pm		Canada 6–3
(3–2, 2–1, 1–0)		Finland Grand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 7,298
Game reference
Carter GeorgeGoaliesPetteri RimpinenReferees:
John Lindner
Adam Tobias
Linesmen:
Albert Ankerstjerne
Matthew Heinen
O'Reilly (Hage, McKenna) – 01:101–0
1–103:23 – Valila (Ruohonen)
Cootes (Verhoeff, Greentree) – 04:572–1
2–211:58 – Miettinen (Boelius, Kuhta) (PP)
Parekh (Hage, McKenna) (PP) – 18:413–2
Martone (Iginla, Parekh) – 21:474–2
O'Reilly (McKenna, Hage) (PP) – 25:275–2
5–334:18 – Ruohonen (Tuuva)
McKenna (Hage) – 53:356–3
6 minPenalties8 min
34Shots35

Gold medal game

January 5, 2026
7:30pm		Sweden 4–2
(1–0, 1–0, 2–2)		 CzechiaGrand Casino Arena, Saint Paul
Attendance: 9,753
Game reference
Love HärenstamGoaliesMichal OršulákReferees:
Troy Murray
Janne Wuorenheimo
Linesmen:
Anthony LaPointe
Joni Pekkala
Juustovaara (Berglund) (SH) – 14:461–0
Eklund (Berglund, Stenberg) (PP) – 29:212–0
Boumedienne (Stenberg, V. Björck) – 43:473–0
3–157:36 – Jiříček (Fibigr, Nestrašil) (EA)
3–259:36 – Kubiesa (Fibigr, Čihař) (EA)
Stenberg (Eklund, V. Björck) (ENG) – 59:524–2
8 minPenalties4 min
35Shots29

Statistics

As of 2026-01-06 (13:48 GMT), iihf.com has not updated tournament stats to include the gold medal game.

Scoring leaders

Pos Player Country GP G A Pts +/− PIM
1 Michael Hage  Canada 7 2 13 15 +7 0
2 Gavin McKenna  Canada 7 4 10 14 +7 14
3 Zayne Parekh  Canada 7 5 8 13 +5 10
4 Vojtěch Čihař  Czechia 7 4 8 12 +7 2
5 Ivar Stenberg  Sweden 7 4 6 10 +5 6
6 Jack Berglund  Sweden 7 3 7 10 +9 4
7 Porter Martone  Canada 7 6 3 9 +4 6
8 Viggo Björck  Sweden 7 3 6 9 +5 2
8 Tomáš Galvas  Czechia 7 3 6 9 +7 0
8 Heikki Ruohonen  Finland 7 3 6 9 +6 4

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus–minus; PIM = Penalties In Minutes
Source 1: IIHF.com (pdf)
Source 2: IIHF.com
Source 3: eliteprospects.com

Goaltending leaders

(minimum 40% team's total ice time)

Pos Player Country TOI GA GAA SA Sv% SO
1 Jack Ivankovic  Canada 179:43 7 2.34 85 91.76 0
2 Love Härenstam  Sweden 370:00 15 2.43 168 91.07 0
3 Christian Kirsch   Switzerland 178:23 8 2.69 83 90.36 1
4 Elijah Neuenschwander   Switzerland 119:23 5 2.51 51 90.20 0
5 Nicholas Kempf  United States 140:06 6 2.57 57 89.47 0

TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds); GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SA = Shots against; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts
Source1: IIHF.com (pdf)
Source2: IIHF.com

Awards

Source:[12]

Final standings

Pos Grp Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Final Result
1 A  Sweden 7 6 1 0 0 35 16 +19 20 Champions
2 B  Czechia 7 4 1 0 2 32 22 +10 14 Runners-up
3 B  Canada 7 5 1 0 1 42 21 +21 17 Third place
4 B  Finland 7 2 1 2 2 29 24 +5 10 Fourth place
5 A  United States (H) 5 3 0 1 1 20 19 +1 10 Eliminated in Quarterfinals
6 A   Switzerland 5 2 0 0 3 12 14 −2 6
7 B  Latvia 5 1 0 1 3 12 23 −11 4
8 A  Slovakia 5 1 0 0 4 14 20 −6 3
9 A  Germany 5 1 0 0 4 13 26 −13 3 Avoided relegation
10 B  Denmark 5 0 0 0 5 12 36 −24 0 Relegated to the 2027 Division I A
Source: IIHF.com
(H) Host

Division I

Main article: 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division I

Group A

The Division I, Group A tournament was played in Bled, Slovenia between December 7 and 13, 2025.

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1  Norway 5 4 1 0 0 37 11 +26 14 Promotion to the 2027 Top Division
2  Kazakhstan 5 2 1 1 1 27 26 +1 9[a]
3  Austria 5 3 0 0 2 25 18 +7 9[a]
4  Slovenia (H) 5 1 1 1 2 17 26 −9 6[b]
5  Ukraine 5 1 1 1 2 12 19 −7 6[b]
6  France 5 0 0 1 4 16 34 −18 1 Relegation to the 2027 Division I B
Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against next best-ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.[13][14]
(H) Host
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Kazakhstan 3, Austria 0
  2. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Slovenia 3, Ukraine 0

Group B

The Division I, Group B tournament was played in Milan, Italy between December 8 and 14, 2025.

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1  Hungary 5 3 1 0 1 18 9 +9 11 Promotion to the 2027 Division I A
2  Estonia 5 2 1 1 1 18 14 +4 9[a]
3  Lithuania 5 3 0 0 2 10 11 −1 9[a]
4  Poland 5 2 0 2 1 13 13 0 8
5  Japan 5 1 1 0 3 12 16 −4 5
6  Italy (H) 5 1 0 0 4 11 19 −8 3 Relegation to the 2027 Division II A
Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against next best-ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.[13][14]
(H) Host
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Estonia 3, Lithuania 0

Division II

Main article: 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division II

Group A

The Division II, Group A tournament was played in Bucharest, Romania between January 4 and 10, 2026.

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1  South Korea 5 5 0 0 0 33 6 +27 15 Promotion to the 2027 Division I B
2  Great Britain 5 3 1 0 1 15 13 +2 11
3  Croatia 5 2 1 0 2 18 27 −9 8
4  Romania (H) 5 1 1 1 2 16 19 −3 6
5  China 5 1 0 2 2 15 18 −3 5
6  Spain 5 0 0 0 5 11 25 −14 0 Relegation to the 2027 Division II B
Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against next best-ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.[13][14]
(H) Host

Group B

The Division II, Group B tournament was played in Belgrade, Serbia between January 18 and 24, 2026.

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1  Netherlands 5 5 0 0 0 40 3 +37 15 Promotion to the 2027 Division II A
2  Australia 5 3 0 0 2 29 21 +8 9
3  Israel 5 2 1 0 2 20 18 +2 8
4  Serbia (H) 5 2 0 1 2 14 19 −5 7
5  New Zealand 5 1 0 0 4 11 44 −33 3[a]
6  Iceland 5 1 0 0 4 15 24 −9 3[a] Relegation to the 2027 Division III A
Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against next best-ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.[13][14]
(H) Host
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: New Zealand 3, Iceland 0

Division III

Main article: 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Division III

Group A

The Division III, Group A tournament was played in Sofia, Bulgaria between January 19 and 25, 2026.

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1  Chinese Taipei 5 4 1 0 0 42 14 +28 14 Promotion to the 2027 Division II B
2  Bulgaria (H) 5 3 1 0 1 29 13 +16 11
3  Belgium 5 2 0 3 0 27 16 +11 9
4  Turkey 5 2 1 0 2 34 15 +19 8
5  Thailand 5 1 0 0 4 11 35 −24 3
6  Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 0 0 0 5 6 56 −50 0 Relegation to the 2027 Division III B
Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against next best-ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.[13][14]
(H) Host

Group B

The Division III, Group B tournament was played in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan between January 18 and 24, 2026.

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Promotion
1  Kyrgyzstan (H) 5 5 0 0 0 38 10 +28 15 Promotion to the 2027 Division III A
2  Hong Kong 5 4 0 0 1 31 11 +20 12
3  Mexico 5 3 0 0 2 18 15 +3 9
4  Luxembourg 5 2 0 0 3 21 15 +6 6
5  South Africa 5 1 0 0 4 9 25 −16 3
6  Iran 5 0 0 0 5 6 47 −41 0
Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against next best-ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.[13][14]
(H) Host

References

  1. ^ "IIHF - Tournaments". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  2. ^ "USA Hockey Selects Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis to Host 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship". USA Hockey. January 5, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  3. ^ "IIHF - Host State Information". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  4. ^ "Minneapolis-St. Paul to host 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship". ESPN.com. January 5, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  5. ^ "IIHF - Grand Casino Arena". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  6. ^ "IIHF - 3M Arena at Mariucci". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  7. ^ "Competition Officials" (PDF). IIHF. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  8. ^ "Game Officials Assignments" (PDF). IIHF. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  9. ^ "Groups Set For 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship". usahockey.com. March 7, 2025.
  10. ^ "IIHF Divisions World Championships Event Code" (PDF). IIHF. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
  11. ^ "IIHF - Tournament Info 2026 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP". IIHF. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
  12. ^ "Cihar named MVP". International Ice Hockey Federation. January 5, 2026. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "IIHF Divisions World Championships Event Code" (PDF). IIHF. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "IIHF - Tournament Info 2026 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP". IIHF. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
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