As 2025 comes to a close, so does the group stage at the 2026 World Juniors
While the games on the schedule will all be for knockout-round seeding, as Denmark and Germany are both locked into the relegation round game, there are still some intriguing matchups to discuss. The action gets started at 12:00 PM CST when Switzerland plays Slovakia at the Grand Casino Arena; the winner of this encounter will earn third place in Group A and a matchup with either Finland or Czechia, while the loser will play either Finland or Canada.
At 2:30 PM CST, Czechia will take on Latvia in another game that could end up being incredibly crucial for seeding. While Czechia cannot finish in first given that they cannot exceed Canada's point total and that Canada has the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Czechs can still finish second with a win and a Finland loss to Canada. Finishing second would guarantee the Czechs a quarterfinal matchup with the winner of the Switzerland-Slovakia game, while a third place finish would set Czechia up for an encounter with either Sweden or the United States.
At 5:00 PM CST, Sweden and the United States will do battle at the Grand Casino Arena. Considering that Sweden and the United States will both enter this matchup tied for the lead in Group A with nine points apiece, the winner of this game will finish first in Group A and play the fourth-place team in Group B in the first knockout round.
A similar matchup will take place at 7:30 CST between Canada and Finland; the game will also serve to close out the group stage. While Finland is a point behind Canada in the Group A standings, a win of any kind would still put the Finns over Canada in the group standings. A loss could send Finland to third in the group if Czechia can make up the required points total through their game against Latvia. As for Canada, a win guarantees first in the group, while a loss would put Canada in second in the group standings.
Here is my analysis of each of the group stage games being played on Day 6 of the World Juniors.
Switzerland vs. Slovakia
Given that Switzerland and Slovakia will both make the knockout round courtesy of their respective wins over fifth-place Germany, this matchup will only be for seeding.
Even then, this matchup could be one of the more intriguing matchups of the day as both Switzerland and Slovakia can be seen to be some of the more feisty units of the tournament thus far. While both teams have only one win to their names thus far, they have given the top teams in their groups some major headaches. Against the United States, Switzerland was able to hold the Americans to just two goals, while Slovakia was able to hold multiple leads over the course of the game. With Sweden as the common opponent, Slovakia was able to reverse a two-goal deficit and come close to forcing the Swedes into overtime, while Switzerland was able to hold a 2-1 lead after two periods.
This matchup could realistically go either way, and I would not be surprised if settling it requires an overtime period. While Switzerland's determination has played an important role in their performance at the 2026 World Juniors, I am going to back Slovakia to do enough on the offensive side of the ice to secure the victory.
The pick: Slovakia 4, Switzerland 3
Latvia vs. Czechia
Say what you will about their defensive struggles to open the tournament, but the Czechs came out flying in their third round-robin game against Finland.
Not only did Czechia capitalize on a five-minute major penalty, scoring the icebreaker in the first half of their power play, but they also defended a high-flying Finnish unit to great effect in the first period. At one point, the shot count was 10-1 for Czechia.
The one thing I didn't like about Czechia's performance against Finland? They needed to do more with their chances. A lot more.
And it showed late in the game when Finland turned things around and eventually broke through to tie the game at one with twenty seconds left in the third period.
Though the Czechs would eventually survive and win in overtime by a final score of 2-1, things could have looked a lot differently in Group B had Czechia earned all three points.
But with the win, Czechia now sits two points back of Finland in Group B. And with either a regulation win over Latvia and a Finland loss to Canada in any form or an overtime win over Latvia and a Finland loss to Canada in regulation, Czechia would overtake Finland in the standings. Even if Finland earned an overtime point against Canada, Czechia would still get ahead with a regulation win against Latvia; this would come via their win over Finland (Czechia earned two points compared to Finland's one point in the standings).
Even then, the only thing that the Czechs can control right now is what they do. That starts with beating Latvia, who could still finish third in Group B with a win over Czechia. Despite their 8-0 loss to Finland in their second group game, Latvia bounced back with a big 6-3 win over Denmark. That should serve a bit of a confidence booster going into this matchup; if Latvia can continue to create chances and get in the way of a sharp-shooting Czech side, there could be a chance that an upset takes place.
I see this being a defence-focused matchup, with both Czechia and Latvia's defensive capabilities being thrust into the spotlight. While Latvia should end up performing more like the team that showed up against Canada, I do think their efforts will fall short against a rejuvenated Czech side.
The pick: Czechia 2, Latvia 1
Sweden vs. United States
Another preview article, another situation where I have to discuss the nature of this Swedish entry at the World Juniors.
Yes, Sweden won handily against Germany - if an 8-1 victory isn't a comfortable win, then I don't know what is. At the same time, the Swedes did end the first period tied at one while also needing five unanswered goals to ensure that Germany would be unable to earn a result.
In considering this at the same time as Sweden's first two wins at the World Juniors, we know that the Swedes are capable of outscoring their issues; despite their inability to hold a lead or consistently put away their opposition, it's clear that Sweden can score. And that idea alone could be what carries Sweden on yet another deep run in the knockouts.
The one team standing in the way of Sweden and an optimal path to the medal games? The United States, who only just survived an encounter with the Slovakians by a score of 6-5.
If Sweden can beat the United States, they'll be guaranteed a matchup with the fourth-place team in Group B, which would be one of Latvia or Denmark. And barring a reseeding nightmare, there's a considerable chance Sweden could avoid one of Canada, Czechia, and Finland until the gold medal game.
But to have that path open to them, they have to beat the United States. To do that, they have to score. Slovakia proved this with their five-goal performance against the United States, one that saw the Slovakians lead by multiple goals twice while also holding a lead for two significant stretches of the game.
I expect the Swedes to come out flying in this game in an effort to catch the Americans off guard, and I'm actually going to take Sweden to win in an upset. If they can score at will in a similar capacity to that of Slovakia, while also doing enough on defence and on special teams, Sweden should be able to hand the United States their first loss in the tournament.
The pick: Sweden 5, United States 4
Canada vs. Finland
Remember when I say Finland looked like the best team at the tournament? Yeah, I might need to put that on the back burner.
Despite ramping up the pressure on Czechia and dominating the shot count in the time following the first fifteen minutes, Finland looked awful to start their game with the Czechs. From giving up penalties to looking sluggish on the special teams unit, Finland didn't exactly enjoy the ideal first period against Czechia.
And despite their rally to force the game into overtime, Finland would still end up losing the game 2-1. That loss would hurt not just in terms of their positioning in the standings,
Despite the loss, Finland still remains in play for the top spot in Group B. As Finland is just a point behind Canada, a win over Canada would give the Finns the top spot in Group B and a quarterfinal matchup with the fourth-place team in Group A (one of Slovakia, Switzerland, and Germany).
The same is true for Canada; while the Canadians are guaranteed a top-two finish regardless of the result of the Czechia-Latvia game, a win would solidify Canada's place at the top of Group B.
Considering that Canada and Finland will enter play as two of the top-three scoring teams in the World Juniors, I expect this to be a high-scoring encounter that will go the way of the team that does more with the scoring chances given.
This game will end up going the distance, with both teams doing just enough to earn an overtime point. However, I think Finland will come into this game looking to re-establish the disciplined and aggressive nature that defined their performance in the opening two games. Should Finland achieve such a mentality once again, they will end up taking this matchup and secure first place in Group B.
The pick: Finland 3, Canada 2