The first quarterfinal matchup of 2026 is a rematch of last year's quarterfinal, which came down to the last minute. Latvia showed a ton of heart but ultimately fell short, as they did against Canada in this year's tournament. Sweden is a perfect 4-0 for a reason, and while Latvia has proven it can hang with the world's elite, it isn't quite ready to break through a Sweden team that has all the offensive tools and arguably the best goaltender in the tournament.

Czechia has been a force in this tournament over the past few years with three consecutive podium finishes. They deserved the second seed in group B and are the rightful favourites here against Switzerland. The Swiss co-led the group stage with just eight goals against and are a solid defensive team that knows how to hang with superior opponents by limiting their chances. This has the makings to be a good ol' low-scoring hockey game with a ton of grit. 

The Swedes just stomped the Americans, who gave up 15 goals across four round robin games, the fourth most in the tournament. Only Denmark, Germany and Latvia allowed more goals than the United States, that's simply not good enough. In contrast, the Fins scored the third most goals in the round robin and tied for the third fewest goals allowed thus far in the tournament. The Americans have the better team on paper, but with injury issues and a lacklustre defence, the Fins will have ample opportunities and have proven they can score with the very best.

The Canadians scored an absurd 25 goals in four games to earn the top seed in Group B and lead the tournament in scoring and +/- through the round robin. Slovakia's only win came against Germany, who's proven to be the second-worst team in the tournament. Eventually, Canada's skill will wear down this Slovakian squad, and goals will start to flow in the latter half of the game.