We are a few games away from crowning a world champion.
The 2023 IIHF World Championship is in the playoff portion of the tournament. The field has been cut down from 16 teams to just eight, as the preliminary round determined the eight participants still in the running for a gold medal.
In Group A, the USA went undefeated to finish first in the pool, earning six regulation wins and an overtime victory as well. Joining the United States in the playoffs from Group A are Sweden, Finland and Germany.
MORE: Watch the 2023 IIHF World Championship live with fuboTV (free trial, U.S. only)
Over in Group B, Switzerland finished first after six regulation wins and an overtime loss. Canada, Czechia and Latvia are the other teams coming out of the group for the playoffs.
Finland is the defending champion from 2022. Will the Finns repeat, or will another country be heading home as gold medalists?
The Sporting News has fans covered on the playoffs of the 2023 IIHF World Championship.
NHL PLAYOFFS: FULL BRACKET | PREDICTIONS | SCHEDULE
2023 IIHF World Championship playoff schedule, results
Thursday, May 25
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
| Quarterfinal: USA 3, Czechia 0 | FINAL |
| Quarterfinal: Germany 3, Switzerland 1 | FINAL |
| Quarterfinal: Canada vs. Finland | 1:20 p.m. |
| Quarterfinal: Sweden vs. Latvia | 1:20 p.m. |
Saturday, May 27
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
| Semifinal: TBD vs. TBD | 7:20 a.m. |
| Semifinal: TBD vs. TBD | 11:20 a.m. |
Saturday, May 27
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
| Bronze-Medal Game: TBD vs. TBD | 8:20 a.m. |
| Gold-Medal Game: TBD vs. TBD | 1:20 p.m. |
2023 IIHF World Championship standings
There were 16 countries competing at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. The group was split up into two pools of eight.
Teams played seven preliminary games in a round-robin format within their group, followed by a three-round playoff.
In the group stage, teams earned three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win, one point for an overtime loss and no points for a regulation loss.
The top four teams from each pool advanced to the quarterfinals. The winners of quarterfinal games advance to the semis, while the losers will play in a 5th-place game for seeding purposes. The victors of the semifinals will face off in the gold medal game, and the semis losers will play for bronze.
Group A
| Team | Games | Wins | OT Wins | OT Losses | Losses | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA – Q | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Sweden – Q | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| Finland – Q | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| Germany – Q | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Denmark | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| France | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Austria | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Hungary | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
Group B
| Team | Games | Wins | OT Wins | OT Losses | Losses | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland – Q | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 |
| Canada – Q | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Czechia – Q | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| Latvia – Q | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 13 |
| Slovakia | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| Kazakhstan | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Norway | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Slovenia | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
How to watch 2023 IIHF World Championship on TV, live stream
- TV channel (U.S.): NHL Network
- Live stream (U.S.): Fubo (free trial), ESPN+
- TV channel (Canada): TSN, RDS
- Live stream (Canada): TSN.ca, TSN app
TSN and the NHL Network are the homes in North America for the 2023 IIHF World Championship
In the United States, all games involving Team USA and other select pool play games will be broadcast on NHL Network. The network will have both semifinal games and medal games.
Cord cutters can stream NHL Network through Fubo, which offers a free trial. ESPN+ will carry games that are not available on NHL Network.
Canadians can view games on TSN (English language) or RDS (French language). The network will carry every game with Canada involved at the tournament and select other games, including all of the playoff contests.
TSN can be streamed on TSN.ca, through the TSN App and TSN+.
Where is the 2023 IIHF World Championship?
- Location: Tampere, Finland / Riga, Latvia
- Venue: Nokia Arena / Arena Riga
The 2023 IIHF World Championship is being split between two host countries: Tampere, Finland and Riga, Latvia.
Games held in Tampere will be played at the Nokia Arena, the home rink for Ilves and Tappara of Finland’s Liiga. Contests in Riga will be played at Arena Riga, home of Latvian national teams and the former arena of the KHL’s Dinamo Riga.
The 2023 tournament was scheduled to be held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, however, the country’s rights to the event were stripped following the IIHF ban of Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine.
