• IIHF World Championship 2026: Friday, May 15 to Sunday, May 31
• FREE stream: ORF On (Austria, select games)
• US stream: NHL Network via Sling TV
• Access your usual streaming services with NordVPN

Watch IIHF World Championship 2026 live streams, as newly crowned Olympic champions the USA look to defend their world title in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland. The US join 15 of the world's top sides, include a Canada side intent on revenge, for a festival on ice.

Canada may even start as slight favorites, with San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini, superb at the Olympics, captaining a side desperate for revenge. Heck, Sidney Crosby has even accpted a call-up to the Canucks roster for this tournament after Olympic and world quarterfinal losses in the past 12 months.

Elsewhere, Switzerland have plenty of the squad that has finished runners-up in the past two tournaments, but a new coach (Jan Cadieux) after Patrick Fischer was sacked over a fake COVID-19 vaccine passport.

Finland will also feature prominently, with Anton Lundell of the Florida Panthers among their star players. But it's the hits, fights and intrigue that make this the greatest show on ice.

Here's how to watch the IIHF World Championship 2026 ice hockey from anywhere, including worldwide TV channels, broadcasters and any free live streams below.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2026 for FREE

Ice hockey fans who live in Austria are in luck – there are some FREE options to live stream IIHF World Championship 2026.

Select games, including those featuring Austria, will be on free-to-air broadcaster and streaming service ORF On. Sign up with a free account to start watching.

In the United States, NHL Network is the exclusive home of IIHF World Championsjo[, which can be accessed directly or via 'over the top' streaming providers that offer free trials, our favorites are:

• DirecTV (5 days free) - US
• Fubo (7 days) - US

Traveling outside your home country for the tournament? Use NordVPN to get past geo-blockers and tune in to your regular ice hockey live streams.

Use a VPN to watch any IIHF World Championship 2026 stream

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the IIHF World Championship 2026 on your usual subscription?

You can still watch the IIHF World Championship 2026 live 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, making it ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:

It's really straightforward to use a VPN to watch the IIHF World Championship 2026.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is one of our favorites.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For example, if you want to watch the ORF On stream, select 'Austria' from the listed countries.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to ORF On's website and tune into IIHF World Championship 2026.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2026 live streams in the US

In the US, IIHF World Championship 2026 is being shown on NHL Network.

NHL Network is available on various cable packages, and could well be included in yours, but what if you're looking for a cable alternative that carries hundreds of other channels?

NHL Network is also available on our favorite Sling TV via its Sports Extra addon. That supplement is $11 a month, which can be tacked onto the $19.99/month Essentials plan, which already includes ESPN and ESPN2

DirecTV MySports Genre Pack has NHL Network, and costs $64.99/month after the 5-day FREE trial we mentioned earlier. Also, new customers get $20 off each of their first two months.

Fubo also carries NHL Network. After the aforementioned 7-day trial, its Pro tier costs from $73.99 a month, though there are often some early discounts available.

Outside the US for this tournament? Use NordVPN to unlock your stream of IIHF World Championship 2026.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2026 live streams in Canada

Ice hockey fans in Canada can live stream the IIHF World Championship 2026 on the TSN network of channels.

If you don't have cable, the TSN Plus streaming service costs CA$8 a month or $80 each year.

Outside Canada while the IIHF World Championship 2026 is on? Simply use a VPN to watch from abroad.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2026 live streams in the UK

Unfortunately, there is no confirmed broadcaster for the IIHF World Championship 2026 in the UK right now.

That means ice hockey fans in Blighty will need to enjoy the comprehensive coverage provided by IIHF.tv, where a tournament pass costs €30.

Premier Sports have had rights in previous years, but it doesn't look like that's the case this time around. We'll keep checking, though, and update this page should a late deal be done.

In the UK on vacation right now? Use NordVPN to access your usual ice hockey streams.

How to watch Italian Open 2026 live streams in Australia

It's the same in Australia, where there is no IIHF World Championship 2026 broadcaster.

Don't worry, though, as comprehensive IIHF World Championship coverage is being provided by IIHF.tv in Australia, where a tournament pass costs €30 (~AU$49).

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action on beIN Sports as if you were back home.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2026 live streams in New Zealand and RoW

In New Zealand, and many other countries around the world, IIHF.tv, where a tournament pass costs €30, is the place to go.

Missing a game due to work commitments abroad? NordVPN will give you access to your home streaming service.

IIHF World Championship 2026 Q&A

Andy Murray is an award-winning writer and columnist, voted the Consumer Journalist of the Year at the 2015 PPA New Talent Awards. A fluent Spanish speaker and former semi-professional footballer, he was senior staff writer of world-leading football magazine FourFourTwo from 2012 to 2019 and continues to write and edit for them, national newspapers, websites, the Olympic Games and Premier League clubs.

An avid music lover since an existential introduction to The Bends by Radiohead aged 10, he has been a Glastonbury regular for decades and always lends an ear to the latest tech. For the past three years, he has tested products, subedited reviews and delved deep into the minutiae of VPNs for TechRadar.

He is not a famous tennis player.