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Photo: Ben McShane/Sportsfile via Getty Images
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IIHF World Championship 2026: Friday, August 14 – Sunday, August 30.
All eyes are on the Netherlands men’s team at the 2026 IIHF World Championship as the Orange have a golden opportunity to end their drought in the competition. Their last taste of World Cup glory was back in 1998, losing two finals and three semi-finals since then.
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Not only are they among the top teams in this tournament, but they also have home advantage as the World Cup is co-hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium in Amstelveen and Wavre respectively.
The Belgian men’s team, who defeated the finalists last time out and previously won in 2018, topped the rankings following their recent FIH Professional League triumph but were eliminated in the second round. That cleared the way for Olympic champions Netherlands and world champions Germany, who had been kept separate in the last four tournaments.
Today (Friday, August 28) is the day of the men’s semi-final of the Ice Hockey World Championship. The action starts with a blockbuster match between the Netherlands and Spain at 12:00 ET / 17:00 BST, followed by Germany vs Argentina at 14:30 ET / 19:30 BST.
The Dutch women’s national team may be unstoppable. They are back-to-back World and Olympic champions and have just won their sixth FIH Professional League title in seven tries – by 15 points. Argentina will have to stop them in the final at 10am ET/3pm BST on Saturday.
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Here’s how to watch the 2026 IIHF World Cup from anywhere in the world. We’ve also listed the schedule and recent champions below.
Today’s matches of the 2026 Ice Hockey World Championship.
(All times BST)
MEN’S LAMPS
Friday, August 28
17:00 – Netherlands – Spain.
19:30 – Germany – Argentina.
Is it possible to watch the 2026 Ice Hockey World Championship for free?
Yes. Free streaming of the Ice Hockey World Cup is available in the UK thanks to Channel 4 Sports YouTube channelwhich provides live coverage of all England, Scotland and Wales games.
Wales and Scotland games are also shown on the Welsh channel. S4C and a channel in Gaelic BBC Alba respectively, with live streaming available via BBC iPlayer.
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It’s also free to air RTL Play And Sporza in Belgium and NOS in the Netherlands.
Are you going abroad now? You can use VPN watch the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 for free, as if you were at home.
Use a VPN to watch live streams of the 2026 Ice Hockey World Cup.
A VPN is handy software that can make your device look like it’s in your home country and unblock your usual streaming services. Best VPN right now? We recommend Surfshark – it does it all and offers discounts of up to 85%.
How to watch the 2026 Ice Hockey World Cup in the USA, Canada and Australia
The 2026 Ice Hockey World Championship is available for viewing on the channel Watch.Hockey streaming service in the US, Canada and Australia.
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The World Cup Pass is now $21.99 US/$21.99 CAD/$30.99 AUD and you’ll be able to stream every remaining game live.
If you have a subscription but are away during the tournament, you can unblock access to your streaming accounts from anywhere in the world using a VPN.
How to watch live streaming of the 2026 Ice Hockey World Cup in the UK
All games involving England, Scotland and Wales are broadcast free in the UK on the channel Channel 4 Sports YouTube channel. That’s 11 lights on the pool stage – and more.
Welsh language channel S4C and a Gaelic station BBC Alba Wales and Scotland games will also be shown, with live coverage available via the free BBC iPlayer.
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However, for in-depth coverage of the 2026 FIH World Cup, you will need Watch.Hockey subscription, which drops to £21.99 at the end of the tournament.
If you’re outside the UK but still want to tune in, check out VPN route outlined above to help you access your accounts from anywhere.
How to watch live streaming of the 2026 FIH World Cup of Hockey in the USA
In addition to the $44.99 Watch.Hockey option in the US, CBS Sports Network During the tournament, matches of the US women’s national team will be shown.
You can access OTT streaming platforms such as Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live And DirectTVall of which have free trials for new users of varying lengths.
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After the free trial period, you will be charged for your subscription. Check with your local operator for details.
Not currently in the US, find out more VPN route Access field hockey from anywhere in the world.
How to watch live streaming of the 2026 Hockey World Cup in India
The 2026 Hockey World Championship will be shown in India. Star Sports channels, with live broadcast available via GioHotstar.
JioHotstar prices start from Rs. 299 ($3.49) per month, increasing to Rs. 899 ($10.50) per year.
If you are currently outside India but want to watch the Hockey World Cup live stream, you need to get yourself a VPNaccording to the instructions above.
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Questions and answers about the 2026 IIHF World Championship
FIH World Hockey Championship 2026 schedule
Click to see more ▼
(all times UK)
MEN’S ROUND 1
Saturday, August 15
India 3-1 Wales | YouTube
Germany – Malaysia 5:1
England 4-1 Pakistan | YouTube
Belgium – France 3:2
Sunday, August 16
Australia 3-1 Ireland
Spain 3-1 South Africa
Netherlands 5-1 New Zealand
Argentina – Japan 3:0
Monday, August 17
Pakistan 3-3 Wales | YouTube
France – Malaysia 3:3
India 2-4 England | YouTube
Germany – Belgium 1:0
Tuesday, August 18
New Zealand 2-0 Japan
Spain – Australia 0:1
Ireland 4-1 South Africa
Argentina – Netherlands 1:3
Wednesday, August 19
England vs Wales | YouTube
Pakistan vs India
France – Germany 1:1
Belgium – Malaysia 5:3
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Thursday, August 20
Australia 2-2 South Africa
New Zealand 1-7 Argentina
Ireland 1-3 Spain
Netherlands – Japan 4:1
MEN’S ROUND 2
Friday, August 21
Australia 1-1 Belgium
Germany – Spain 1:2
Saturday, August 22
Netherlands 3-1 India
England 1-3 Argentina | YouTube
Sunday, August 23
Germany – Australia 4:2
Belgium – Spain 1:1
Monday, August 24
Argentina 5-3 India
Netherlands 2-2 England | YouTube
MEN’S SEMI-FINALS
Friday, August 28
17:00 – Netherlands – Spain.
19:30 – Germany – Argentina.
WOMEN’S TOUR 1
Saturday, August 15
Australia 2-0 Japan
Germany – Scotland 3:0 | YouTube
Netherlands – Chile 2:0
Argentina – USA 1:1
Sunday, August 16
England 4-0 South Africa | YouTube
China – India 2:2
Belgium 5-2 New Zealand
Spain 3-2 Ireland
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Monday, August 17
Chile – Japan 0:3
USA – Scotland 3:2 | YouTube
Germany – Argentina 2:3
Australia 2-4 Netherlands
Tuesday, August 18
New Zealand 2-3 Ireland
England 2-4 China | YouTube
India 6-1 South Africa
Spain – Belgium 1:1
Wednesday, August 19
Chile – Australia 4:4
Argentina 2-0 Scotland | YouTube
USA – Germany 1-3
Netherlands – Japan 9-0
Thursday, August 20
8:30 – China – South Africa.
13:00 – New Zealand – Spain.
14:00 – India – England | YouTube
19:30 – Belgium – Ireland.
WOMEN’S TOUR 2
Friday, August 21
China – Australia 1:1
Netherlands 2-0 India
Saturday, August 22
Belgium – Germany 3:1
Argentina – Spain 3:0
Sunday, August 23
Netherlands – China 4:1
Australia – India 0:0
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Monday, August 24
Spain – Germany 1:4
Belgium – Argentina 0:0
WOMEN’S SEMI-FINALS
Thursday, August 27
Netherlands – Belgium 1:0
Argentina 1-0 Australia
WOMEN’S FINAL
Saturday, August 29
15:00 – Netherlands – Argentina.
Who are the recent ice hockey world champions?
Recent Ice Hockey World Championship winners
Men’s Champions
Women Champions
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