Well who saw that coming? By virtue of being the standout team and the reigning champions respectively, Sweden and Canada were a shoo-in for today's IIHF World Championship final, but world No.8 Czech Republic and No.7 Switzerland pulled off a pair of colossal upsets to reach the championship match. Canada vs Sweden will instead serve as a the warmup act.
Read on and we'll show you how to watch IIHF World Championship 2024 from anywhere with a VPN, and potentially for FREE.
Not only were the Swedes the only team with a perfect record through the tournament, but they hadn't trailed any opponent at any time until the competition hosts turned on the style in the second period of yesterday's showdown. Inspired by game-breaker Lukas Sedlak, the five-time champions scored three in three minutes and ran out rampant 7-3 winners.
Switzerland's defeat of Canada was a much more close-run thing, the game going to a shootout decider in which Sven Andrighetto and Leonardo Genoni made the difference, the former slotting past Joel Binnington as the latter denied Dylan Cozens when the scores were tied at two apiece following a Canadian comeback.
The Swiss have never won the IIHF World Championship before, finishing second in 1935, 2013 and 2018, and they'll be up against it today at a raucous O2 Arena in Prague.
Here's everything you need to know to watch IIHF World Championship 2024 online, including TV channels and live stream information, with or without cable. We’ve also listed the full IIHF World Championship schedule below so you won't miss a moment.
FREE IIHF World Championship live streams
The 2024 IIHF World Championship is being live streamed for free on ORF in Austria, on ProSieben in Germany, and on YouTube in countries where it hasn't been picked up by a big-name broadcaster, such as Australia.
But what if you're based there but aren't at home to catch that free IIHF World Championship coverage? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch the event for free at home?
Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.
IIHF World Championship live streams around the world
Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the ice hockey on your usual subscription?
You can still watch the IIHF World Championship live stream online thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for fans away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view an Austrian service, you'd select Austria from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to ORF or another website and watch the 2024 IIHF World Championship live stream.
Watch IIHF World Championship in the U.S.
In the U.S., the 2024 IIHF World Championship is split between NHL Network and ESPN Plus.
While an ESPN Plus subscription doesn't grant access to regular ESPN content, it will let you stream thousands of live events, original shows and series that can't be found anywhere else. ESPN+ is available for $10.99 a month or $109.99 a year.
Even better, ESPN Plus is available in a bundle with both Hulu and Disney Plus for $24.99 a month. That gets you all of the ESPN Plus events, top Hulu shows like "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", as well as the Disney Star Wars and Marvel libraries.
If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package, you can get NHL Network through an OTT cable TV alternative.
One of the best value options is Sling TV. Prices start from $40/month and your first month half-price. You'll just need to add its Sports Extra add-on for an additional $11/month to include NHL Network.
How to watch IIHF World Championship in the U.K.
Viaplay has the rights to the IIHF World Championship in the U.K..
You'll have to subscribe to the Total package for coverage, with the plan costing £14.99 per month. It also includes NHL Playoffs coverage. However, there's currently a deal in place for annual membership that saves you 33%, equivalent to a monthly fee of £9.99.
If you're not in the U.K. right now, you can still watch an IIHF World Championship live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN.
Watch IIHF World Championship in Canada
TSN has the rights to show 2024 IIHF World Championship live streams in Canada.
If you don't have cable, you could subscribe to TSN+ instead, which lets you get access to all TSN has to offer on an $8/month or $80/year subscription basis.
Watch IIHF World Championship in Australia
If you're in Australia, you can watch the 2024 IIHF World Championship on YouTube, which is of course completely free.
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action on your account as if you were back home. Otherwise, you may be restricted to highlights.
IIHF World Championship schedule 2024
(All times BST)
Sunday, May 26
2:20 p.m. – Sweden vs Canada (Bronze medal game)
7:20 p.m. – Switzerland vs Czech Republic (IIHF World Championship final)
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