Team USA defends IIHF title

The 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship opened in Switzerland on May 15 with the United States returning as defending champion after beating Switzerland for the 2025 gold medal, according to the IIHF’s medallists page and tournament site. The event runs from May 15 to May 31 in Zurich and Fribourg, with 16 teams split into two preliminary-round groups before the field narrows to the knockout stage. Canada arrived seeking its first title since 2023, while early results through May 19 left the United States in the middle of Group A and pushed Austria and Slovakia into the tournament’s early conversation. ### How did the United States enter this tournament? The United States entered the 2026 championship as the reigning world champion after winning gold in 2025, the IIHF medallists page shows. The IIHF schedule announcement for the 2026 event also billed the opening U.S.-Switzerland game as a rematch of the previous year’s gold-medal game. May 15 brought a 3-1 U.S. loss to Switzerland in Zurich, according to the official IIHF results page. (iihf.com) May 17 then brought a 5-1 U.S. win over Great Britain, leaving the Americans at 1-2 through their first three games after earlier results in Group A. ### Where did the standings stand through May 19? Group A standings through games played by May 19 showed Switzerland, Finland and Austria all on nine points, with Austria at 3-0 and the United States on three points, according to the IIHF standings page. (iihf.com) Hungary also had three points after three games, while Germany and Great Britain were still without a point. (iihf.com) Group B through the same date had Canada first on nine points, Slovakia second on eight and Czechia third on seven, the IIHF standings page showed. Norway sat fourth with six points, ahead of Sweden, Slovenia, Denmark and Italy. ### Why were Austria and Slovakia drawing attention? Austria improved to 3-0 with a win over Latvia on May 19, Daily Faceoff reported, extending what it described as a strong start to the tournament. (iihf.com) The IIHF standings page listed Austria with 12 goals scored and five allowed through three games. Slovakia stayed unbeaten through May 19 after a shootout win over Slovenia, Daily Faceoff reported. The IIHF standings page had Slovakia on eight points through three games, behind only Canada in Group B at that point. ### Which May 19 results changed the picture most? Norway beat Italy 3-0 on May 19, with goaltender Henrik Haukeland recording the shutout, Daily Faceoff reported. (dailyfaceoff.com) The outlet said Norway’s second win kept it in a playoff spot in Group B. Hungary also posted a shutout on May 19, according to Daily Faceoff and Bleacher Report’s roundup of results and standings. (dailyfaceoff.com) Bleacher Report said Hungary’s result moved it ahead of the United States in the standings at one stage of the preliminary round picture. ### What comes next on the schedule? (dailyfaceoff.com) May 20 features United States-Germany and Austria-Switzerland in Group A, while Czechia plays Italy and Sweden faces Slovenia in Group B, according to the IIHF tournament page. The preliminary round continues through May 26 before the event moves into the knockout phase later in the tournament window that ends on May 31. (dailyfaceoff.com) May 21 then brings Canada-Norway and Denmark-Slovakia, and May 24 includes Slovakia-Canada, the IIHF schedule shows. Those games will further shape the quarterfinal field before the championship weekend in Switzerland. (iihf.com)