The 2023 IIHF World Championship is set to kick off in Europe, featuring 16 formidable countries vying for the prestigious gold medal.
While the ongoing 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs enthrall hockey fans worldwide, another exhilarating tournament is capturing the attention of hockey enthusiasts.
Finland, the defending champions, enters this year’s championship with an impressive track record. In the thrilling 2022 gold-medal game, they triumphed over Canada with a 4-3 overtime victory, securing their fourth first-place finish in the tournament’s history.
Finland and Canada have been the two dominant forces in the championship game for the past three consecutive years. The question on everyone’s mind is whether this trend will continue in 2023 or if a new contender will emerge to challenge for the gold.
For those seeking comprehensive coverage of the 2023 IIHF World Championship, The Sporting News has you covered. From the latest standings to insightful analysis, they provide all the essential information for this highly anticipated tournament.
The 16 participating countries are divided into two groups of eight, forming the pool stage of the competition. Teams will play seven preliminary games in a round-robin format within their respective groups.
Following the group stage, the top four teams from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals. The winners of the quarterfinal games will progress to the semifinals, while the defeated teams will compete in a 5th-place game to determine seeding. The victorious teams from the semifinals will face off in the highly anticipated gold medal game, while the semifinal losers will battle for the bronze medal.
The 2023 IIHF World Championship will commence on Friday, May 12, and culminate on Sunday, May 28. The group stage, spanning over a week and a half, will occur from May 12 to May 23, followed by the playoff portion starting Thursday, May 25. Click here to read the schedule and watch.
Several options are available for avid fans who want to catch the action from their homes. In the United States, NHL Network will broadcast all games involving Team USA and select pool play matches, the semifinals, and the medal games.
Cord-cutters can stream NHL Network through Fubo, which offers a free trial, while ESPN+ will provide coverage for games unavailable on NHL Network. Canadian viewers can tune in to TSN (English) or RDS (French), which will broadcast every game involving Team Canada and select other matches, including the playoffs. TSN can be accessed through TSN.ca, the TSN App, and TSN+.
The 2023 IIHF World Championship is unique in terms of its hosting arrangements. The tournament is split between two countries: Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia. Games in Tampere will be held at the Nokia Arena, the home rink for Finland’s Liiga teams, Ilves and Tappara.
Meanwhile, contests in Riga will take place at Arena Riga, which served as the home venue for Latvian national teams and was previously the KHL’s Dinamo Riga arena.
Originally planned to be hosted in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the 2023 tournament experienced a significant change due to the IIHF’s ban on Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine. Consequently, the hosting rights were reallocated, resulting in Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia, taking center stage for this thrilling global competition.
