How to bet on IIHF World Championship | LeoVegas

How To Bet On IIHF World Championship

The IIHF World Championship is a major hockey event where 16 of the best teams in international hockey compete for one of the most prestigious prizes in the sport.

Organised by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which has overseen this competition since its inception in 1920, the IIHF World Championships bring together the best ice hockey players and coaches from around the world.

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How To Bet On The Ice Hockey World Championships (IIHF)

To find the World Championship Ice Hockey betting lines, you can simply navigate to the Ice Hockey betting page and select ‘World Championship’.

Here, you will see a list of the matches that are due to take place and you can just choose the fixture to open all the betting lines available for that game. Simply have a look at the prices and the type of bet you wish to place and add that bet to your bet slip.

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How Many Teams Compete At The IIHF World Championships?

Defending champions Finland and Canada are among the top teams in the world and should feature in your World Championship Ice Hockey betting thinking. Firstly, Canada contains some of the biggest stars of the Ice Hockey world, and they have a simpler group on paper.

The Canadians could avoid Finland, Sweden, and the USA in the quarter-finals, paving an easier path to the final four. As for Finland, they have the home advantage, and they’ll be eager to defend their crown.

Other nations that could make a splash at the World Championships are Sweden and the USA.

What Is The Format Of The Tournament?

Understanding how the format of the tournament works will certainly help with your World Championship Ice Hockey betting and will aid us in offering our IIHF betting tips.

The preliminary round of the competition will see eight teams placed into two groups, where each will play games against their group opponents in a round robin style. Group A will play their preliminary games at the Helsinki Ice Hall, with Group B playing at the Nokia Indoor Arena in Tampere.

IIHF World Championships Schedule

Following the preliminary stages, which will have concluded by May 23rd, the nations that finish in the top four places of their respective group will advance to the quarter-finals.

The quarter-finals will be played in May, at both tournament venues. Unlike previous years, the winner of Group A will face the team that finished fourth in their group, while the winner of Group B will face the fourth-placed team from their group.

The other quarter-final games will see the runner-up in Group A play against the third-placed team in Group A, with the third-placed team in Group B facing the runner-up of Group B.

From there, the four winning teams will advance to the semi-finals, which are due to be played in May. The final and bronze medal match are scheduled for May as well.

LeoVegas has a plethora of World Championship markets for you to enjoy throughout the tournament. From betting on the winner of every game, to betting on the outright winner of the tournament, it’s all available to you with LeoVegas.

Aside from simply betting on winners, we have numerous in-depth markets that you can explore. You can bet on how many goals will be scored in each fixture, the name of the players who might score the goals, who might win each of the three periods during the game, and even the margin of the win.

We have attached an example of the most popular markets below:

Match Odds - This is one of the simpler forms of betting available at LeoVegas. All you have to do is wager on who you believe will win the game, and if they do, your bet comes in. Sometimes, you can also bet on a tie.

Total Goals - Another popular market for the World Championships is Total Goals. This is where a wager is placed on how many goals will be in the game. If the line is set at 4.5, a bet can be placed on whether the game will finish with above or below this number.

Handicap - A handicap places a team at a hypothetical disadvantage. If a team is placed at a -1 handicap, that team will have to win by two or more goals for your bet to win.

Match Winner Inc OT and Pen - Much like match odds, the match winner market focuses on who will win the game. However, this includes both overtime and penalties - this means the teams could be tied after normal time and your bet could still win.

Player to score - If you predict a certain player will have an impressive game in front of goal, then our player specific markets are for you. The player to score market is where you would wager on an individual to score a certain amount of goals within the game.

Players To Watch At The World Championships

Erik Karlsson (Sweden) - One of the standout players at the World Championships will be Sweden’s Erik Karlsson. The defenseman had his most productive year as a San Jose Shark, netting 101 total points this season, the highest by a defenseman in the league.

Alex Tuch (USA) - The USA hasn’t provided its strongest lineup for the IIHF World Championships, however, if they are going to spring a surprise, they’ll be relying on Alex Tuch. Tuch was 2nd in scoring for the Buffalo Sabres last season (36 goals), so the USA will hope his scoring form continues in Riga.

Adam Fantilli (Canada) - When betting on potential, not many players have a higher ceiling than Adam Fantilli. The 18-year-old is projected to be a top-five pick in the upcoming NHL draft, and with an impressive performance at the World Championships, his stock could rise even higher.

Fantilli recorded 65 points in 36 games while playing at Michigan this past year, so he could add some offensive power to Canada’s lineup.

World Hockey Championship FAQ

Who won the World Hockey Championship 2023?

The World Hockey Championship 2023 was won by Canada.

Is the IIHF ice hockey bigger than the NHL?

While the NHL is the biggest domestic hockey league in the world, the IIHF is one of the biggest international hockey tournaments in the world. Players from the NHL will take part in the IIHF, so the best will be on show in Tampere and Riga.

Who has won the most ice hockey world championships?

The most successful team to compete in the Ice Hockey World Championships is Canada. Canada have tallied 27 gold medals at the Championships - they also have 16 silvers and 9 bronze.

Where is the men's world hockey championship 2024?

The Men’s World Ice Hockey Championship will take place in Czechia, specifically in the cities of Prague and Ostrava, from 10 to 26 May 2024.

Do NHL players play in the World Championships?

Some of the world’s best players will be on show at the World Championships - including players from the NHL. If the players’ NHL team has been eliminated from the playoffs, they have the option to come and represent their country in Finland and Latvia this May.

How do the IIHF playoffs work?

The top four teams from each group enter the quarter-final stage. However the quarter-finals will be played within their group rather than a crossover. Therefore, whoever finishes 1st in group A, will play the team who finishes 4th.

From this point, regular service will resume and it’s a single-elimination tournament until the final.

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