Sweden vs Czechia Preview & Prediction | 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship | Final

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An all-European final sees Sweden and Czechia lock horns with both looking to win this competition for only the third time in their history.

Kick-off date/time:

How to watch on TV: UK – Not televised / USA – NHL Network / Canada – TSN/RDS

How to watch online: UK – Cannot be streamed / USA – NHL Network via subscriptions for fuboTV, DirectTV, SlingTV or ESPN+ / Canada – TSN streaming platforms

Sweden vs Czechia prediction

Sweden faced their toughest challenge yet in the semi-finals as Finland took them all the way to a shootout after a 3-3 tie following overtime. But this formidable young unit found a way to win, Anton Frondell scoring the decisive shootout goal to extend Sweden’s record to six wins from six over the course of this tournament.

Czechia were seen as underdogs against free-scoring Canada, who had already beaten them in the group stage. But Czechia matched Canada’s offensive potency and stepped up a gear as the game went on, outscoring their opponents across the second and third periods to win 4-6 and set up this final encounter.

There’s no doubt that Czechia are capable of matching Sweden from an attacking perspective. But Sweden’s defence is better than Canada’s and that might well be decisive in a big final such as this. Sweden have found a way to win on every occasion so far this competition and with the high calibre talent at their disposal, back them to emerge triumphant.

Sweden vs Czechia tip: Sweden to win