One of the greatest events in hockey each year, the IIHF World Juniors Championship is back this December and this time the most elite junior hockey players in the world will converge on the Twin Cities of Minnesota to determine which nation has the best under-20 year olds and will take home a medal.

After an intense week and a half of tournament hockey, just one nation will remain standing and feel the IIHF WJC Gold placed upon their neck. It all begins with group stage play on Friday after Christmas, continuing through New Year's Eve.

In January, the top eight teams will compete in a single elimination bracket to determine who has a chance to fight for the Gold on Monday, Jan. 5.

• Watch Elite Junior And College Hockey All Season On FloHockey
• Team USA World Junior Camp Roster 2026 Revealed: Instant Analysis
  
• Team Canada Lineup For World Juniors Following Camp Cuts With Analysis
• Follow FloHockey's Coverage Of The 2026 World Junior Championship

Team USA took home the last two Golds and hope to make it a third this year—the first three-peat since Canada's five-year reign that ended in 2010.

The World Juniors get started on Friday, December 26. Here's everything to know about the tournament and how to follow the action on FloHockey.

How to Watch the 2026 World Juniors Hockey In Canada, US

All games during 2026 World Juniors tournament will be broadcast live on the NHL Network for viewers in the US. 

The network will air live game telecasts of the World Junior Championships plus analysis, highlights, and interviews about the tournament.

If you live in Canada, you can watch each game on TSN.

You can also follow along on FloHockey for the latest news throughout the tournament.

• Follow us on X @FloHockey
• Follow us on Instagram @flohockey
• Follow us on TikTok @flohockeytv
• Watch us on YouTube
• Like us on Facebook

2026 World Juniors Pre-Tournament Schedule And Scores

Teams will meet in an exhibition schedule of games before the tournament. Here is the full schedule and results so far:

Tuesday, December 16

• Switzerland 2 - 1 Minnesota State

Wednesday, December 17

• Canada 2 - 1 Sweden

Friday, December 19

• Finland 9 - 3 Germany
• Czechia 3 - 2 Latvia

Saturday, December 20

• Sweden 4 - 2 Canada

Sunday, December 21

• Slovakia 3 - 1 Latvia
• USA 8 - 0 Germany

Tuesday, December 23

• 6:00 p.m. USA vs Finland
• 7:00 p.m. Canada vs Denmark
• 7:00 p.m. Czechia vs Slovakia
• 7:00 p.m. Sweden vs Switzerland

2026 IIHF World Junior Championship Schedule

View the full schedule below for the Group Stage and playoff rounds of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in Minnesota. FloHockey will provide free live updates for each USA and Canada game including analysis, scoring summaries, and highlights.

Friday, December 26

• 1:00 p.m. ET - Sweden vs Slovakia
• 2:30 p.m. ET - Denmark vs Finland
• 6:00 p.m. ET - Germany vs USA *Live Updates*
• 8:30 p.m. ET - Czechia vs Canada *Live Updates*

Saturday, December 27

• 2:00 p.m. ET - Slovakia vs Germany
• 4:30 p.m. ET - Latvia vs Canada *Live Updates*
• 6:00 p.m. ET - USA vs Switzerland *Live Updates*
• 8:30 p.m. ET - Denmark vs Czechia

Sunday, December 28

• 2:00 p.m. ET - Sweden vs Switzerland
• 4:30 p.m. ET - Finland vs Latvia

Monday, December 29

• 1:00 p.m. ET - Germany vs Sweden
• 3:30 p.m. ET - Finland vs Czechia
• 6:00 p.m. ET - Slovakia vs USA *Live Updates*
• 8:30 p.m. ET - Canada vs Denmark *Live Updates*

Tuesday, December 30

• 2:00 p.m. ET - Switzerland vs Germany
• 4:30 p.m. ET - Latvia vs Denmark

Wednesday, December 31

• 1:00 p.m. ET - Switzerland vs Slovakia
• 3:30 p.m. ET - Czechia vs Latvia
• 6:00 p.m. ET - USA vs Sweden *Live Updates*
• 8:30 p.m. ET - Canada vs Finland *Live Updates*

Friday, January 2

• 12:30 p.m. ET - Relegation Game
• 2:00 p.m. ET - Quarterfinals Game 1
• 4:30 p.m. ET - Quarterfinals Game 2
• 6:00 p.m. ET - Quarterfinals Game 3
• 8:30 p.m. ET - Quarterfinals Game 4

Sunday, January 4

• 4:30 p.m. ET - Semifinals Game 1
• 8:30 p.m. ET - Semifinals Game 2

Monday, January 5

• 4:30 p.m. ET - Bronze Medal Game
• 8:30 p.m. ET - Gold Medal Game

2026 World Juniors Hockey Tournament Format And Relegation Game Explained

Click here to read more info on IIHF.com.

Each year, the top ten ranked hockey nations in the world put together a roster of their best under-20 players to convene for a multi-round tournament to earn the title of IIHF World Junior champion.

In 2026, the tournament follows a similar format to previous seasons. 

WJC uses a three point system:

• 3 points for a winning team at the conclusion of regulation time
• 1points for both teams at the conclusion of regulation time if the game is tied
  • An additional point is earned for the team winning in a 5-minute overtime, or the penalty-shot shootout if the teams are still tied following overtime
• 0 points for a team losing the game in regulation time

Similar to the NHL regular season rules, overtime is played with each team icing three skaters and a goalie.

The tournament starts with two round-robin tournaments five teams each and then moves into single-elimination playoff games.

Ten teams are divided into two, five-team groups in a preliminary round, also called the group stage. After a single round-robin series in each group, the top four teams as scored by points in each group advance to the playoff rounds. 

Relegation Game

The fifth place teams move to the relegation round. The winner will play in the next IIHF World Junior Championship. The loser is relegated to the U20 World Championships Division I Group A.

Quarterfinal & Semifinal Games

Based on placements from the group stage, the remaining eight teams move into single-elimination playoffs to compete in a cross-over quarterfinal game. The top placed team in one group play the lowest placed team from the other group, and so forth.

Heading into the semifinal round, the remaining four teams are reseeded based on the following criteria:

1. Placement in their group
2. Points in the group stage
3. Goal difference in the group stage
4. Goals scored in the group stage
5. Seeding coming into the tournament

Finally, the semifinal winners move into the Gold medal game while the losers play for the bronze medal.

IIHF World Juniors Hockey: Past Champions

Here's who won the Gold at the IIHF World Junior Championship since 2000.

• 2025: United States
• 2024: United States
• 2023: Canada
• 2022: Canada
• 2021: United States
• 2020: Canada
• 2019: Finland
• 2018: Canada
• 2017: United States 
• 2016: Finland
• 2015: Canada
• 2014: Finland
• 2013: United States 
• 2012: Sweden
• 2011: Russia
• 2010: United States
• 2009: Canada
• 2008: Canada
• 2007: Canada
• 2006: Canada 
• 2005: Canada
• 2004: United States
• 2003: Russia
• 2002: Russia
• 2001: Czech Republic
• 2000: Czech Republic

2026 World Junior Championship Teams

View the list of teams, by group, for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Group A

• USA
• Germany
• Switzerland
• Sweden
• Slovakia

Group B

• Canada
• Czechia
• Latvia
• Denmark
• Finland

Follow FloHockey's Coverage Of The 2026 World Junior Championship

FloHockey will be on site for complete coverage of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can expect game-by-game coverage of both Team USA and Team Canada from FloHockey's experts, interviews with key players and coaches and much more. Follow FloHockey's WJC coverage here.

NHL Prospect Coverage On FloHockey

The best, and most complete, coverage of the NHL minor league hockey and NHL Draft is found on FloHockey. Don't miss the latest new prospect guides, rankings and more from Chris Peters and the FloHockey staff.

Join The Hockey Conversation On FloHockey Social

• Follow us on X @FloHockey
• Follow us on Instagram @flohockey
• Follow us on TikTok @flohockeytv
• Watch us on YouTube
• Like us on Facebook