Ice hockey fans can’t get more excited for the start of the 2024 IIHF World Championship this Friday. Canada is the defending champion after beating Germany in last year’s final, and they are now in the sole lead with the most gold medals won. There are a lot of good teams in this edition, so it should be a fun one to watch.
The 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship will kick off on Friday, May 10, and run until Sunday, May 26. The event will be held in Czechia this year in two cities, as Group A will play all their games at O2 Arena in Prague, while Group B will play at Ostravar Arena in Ostrava. The 2024 IIHF World Championship playoffs will start on May 23.
There will be two opening matchups on Friday, as Switzerland will take on Norway in Group A, and Slovakia will face Germany in Group B. The defending champion, Canada, will start their title defense by facing Great Britain on Saturday.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | IIHF 2024 Men’s Ice Hockey World Championships |
| 🏟️ Venues: | Czech Republic in the O2 Arena, Prague & Ostravar Arena, Ostrava |
| 🗓️ Dates: | 10 May – 26 May 2024 |
Here’s a look at the best ice hockey odds for the IIHF World Championship 2024 outright winner:
Canada has won the IIHF World Championship in four of the last eight editions. They are coming into this tournament as the No. 1 ranked team on the IIHF rankings. The Canadian team has reached the ice hockey WC final in four consecutive years, so they have a lot of experience in this event. Canada won the title as the second favorite last year.
Sweden was outstanding in the group stage last year, finishing in second place behind the United States. They lost to Latvia in the quarterfinals, which was the third time in four years that they lost at this stage. Sweden has an interesting roster this time, and they will try to win their first title since 2018.
The United States finished fourth last year for the second time in a row. They have a very good roster in this tournament, as 19 of their 22 players are playing in the NHL. The USA has won 10 of their last 12 games and is in great shape right now, so they can definitely go far again in the tournament.
Finland was the favorite to win the title last year, but they lost early in the quarterfinals to Canada. The Finnish team has reached the IIHF World Championship final for three consecutive years before that. They are the No. 2 ranked team in the world, and they are in great form, losing only once in their last 13 games.
The Czech Republic will have a home-field advantage in this tournament. They finished fourth the last time they hosted the event in 2015. Czechia is tied for the second-most medals won in the IIHF World Championship, but they have won only one medal in the last decade. They will be motivated to play their best ice hockey at home, so their chances are definitely there to win.
The Ice Hockey World Championship was held for the first time in 1920 at the Summer Olympics. This will be the 87th edition of the IIHF World Championship, as eight different teams have won the title before. Canada became the top nation with 28 gold medals after winning last year, while the Soviet Union/Russia is in second place with 27 gold medals. The host nation, Czechia, has won 12 gold medals, and they are tied for second in the total medals won.
The format of the 2024 IIHF WC is pretty simple. There are 16 teams participating in the tournament, and they are split into two groups. The top four teams in each group qualify for the playoffs, which consist of single-elimination games starting with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and then the final. The last team from each group will be relegated to Division I in the next edition.
Canada has had incredible consistency during the last four tournaments, reaching the final twice and claiming two trophies.
| Group A Participants | Group Stage Prediction |
|---|---|
| Canada* | 1st |
| Finland* | 2nd |
| Czech Republic* | 3rd |
| Switzerland* | 4th |
| Norway | 5th |
| Denmark | 6th |
| Great Britain | 7th |
| Austria | 8th |
The situation in Group A is pretty straightforward. If no surprises happen in the group stage, then the top four teams shouldn’t be out of Canada, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland. The Canadian and Finnish teams will be fighting for the top spot.
Norway and Denmark will be pushing to get a qualifying spot, but it won’t be easy. Both of them didn’t have their best performances in the last edition. The relegation battle in this group will be between Austria and the promoted team, Great Britain.
| Group B Participants | Group Stage Prediction |
|---|---|
| United States* | 1st |
| Sweden* | 2nd |
| Germany* | 3rd |
| Latvia* | 4th |
| Slovakia | 5th |
| France | 6th |
| Kazakhstan | 7th |
| Poland | 8th |
Group B is a little bit more open and unpredictable. Sweden and the United States are the two best teams in the group, and they should qualify comfortably. Germany and Latvia won the silver and bronze medals last year, respectively. Slovakia is also one of the good teams this year, so four of those five teams are expected to qualify for the next round.
France and Kazakhstan won only one game each in the group stage last year. They aren’t expected to be much better this year, either. Poland got promoted to the IIHF World Championship this year, so they are expected to have a tough time among the big teams.
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This is undoubtedly the best roster that the USA has had in years. They used to play with a lot of their young talents as their main players, but this time, they have some of the best NHL players. The United States will be solid at the back with players like Zack Werenski, Jack Sanderson, and Alex Vlasic. They are also strong upfront with Matt Boldy and Brady Tkachuk. The USA finished on top of their group last year, and they were undefeated as well, so they should be even better with this roster in this edition.
The best NHL bookies have some enticing odds for the USA to win the 2024 IIHF World Championship. The United States will have great winning chances if their goalie performs well, as they are their weakest link in the tournament.
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Canada is the team to beat in the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship Group A this year. They are the defending champions, and they looked ready in their friendly games before the tournament. The Canadian head coach, Andre Tourigny, won the title in his first year with the team, and he is back to coach them for the second straight year. Canada’s biggest threat to top the group is Finland, but the Canadian team looks more ready for this edition.
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The Czech Republic will be trying to win a medal at home in this edition. They have some NHL players like Lukas Dostal, Dominik Kubalik, Jan Rutta, and Ondrej Palat. The veteran Roman Cervenka will be playing his 11th championship with Czechia, and he was a part of the 2010 winning team. You can get good odds on the Czech Republic on the best VIP programs for sports betting, as they are expected to do well at home.
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Austria is in terrible shape going into this tournament, losing 10 of their last 11 games, while Denmark won five of their last nine matches, including a win over the Austrian team. The Danish team beat Austria in their last two head-to-head games by an average of 4.5 goals, so they had two big wins. Denmark has a better roster and is in better form, so the odds of them winning this matchup are very good.
This IIHF World Championship edition is an unpredictable one with a lot of good teams, and we will go with the USA to win the title this time. Make sure you use our ice-hockey WC 2024 predictions and bet them at the best sports betting sites in Canada to have more fun watching the event.
