At the midway point of the IIHF World Championship preliminary round, Sweden, Canada and Germany remain perfect, with the former and the latter topping Groups A and B respectively. Reigning champions Czechia are also unbeaten, while the United States are in the playoff picture but only just, having suffered a chastening defeat at the hands of Switzerland.
There are four games on the cards today. In Group A at Avicii Arena, Finland vs Slovenia starts at 10:20 a.m. ET, and will be followed by Canada vs Austria at 2:20 p.m.. In Group B, Germany vs Switzerland is set for 10:20 a.m. ET, before Czechia vs Hungary at 2:20 p.m..
Read on and we'll explain how you can watch IIHF World Championship live streams from anywhere with a VPN — and potentially for FREE.
The 2025 IIHF World Championship runs from Friday, May 9 to Sunday, May 25. (Full schedule below.)
• WATCH FOR FREE — ORF (Austria)
• U.S. — NHL Network via Sling TV
• Canada — TSN Plus
• U.K. — Premier Sports
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free
With Sidney Crosby and Ted Lindsay Award finalist Nathan MacKinnon representing Canada for the first time in years, it's going to take something special to stop Andre Tourigny's men in Stockholm and Herning.
Canada only managed 4th at last year's tournament, but they couldn't call upon their NHL contingent then. This time, players who either missed out on the 2025 NHL Playoffs or were eliminated early are eligible to participate, which means Crosby is back in the fold, having captained Canada to 4 Nations Face-Off glory in February, a decade after he last got to represent his country.
The United States roster features Brady Skjei, Joey Daccord and Matty Beniers, Sweden have Mika Zibanejad, Marcus Pettersson and Adam Larsson, and Switzerland have Devils trio Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Jonas Siegenthaler.
With Germany and Czechia still to come for the United States, Ryan Warsofsky's men cant't take anything for granted.
Here's everything you need to know to watch IIHF World Championship live streams online and without cable. Scroll down for the full schedule.
Watch IIHF World Championship 2025 live streams for FREE
Ice hockey fans in Austria are in luck, as they can watch select IIHF World Championship games for FREE on ORF.
All you need to do is register an account, and the platform works across a wide range of devices and operating systems.
What if you're usually based in Austria, but aren't at home for that free IIHF World Championship coverage? Perhaps, you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on a paid streaming service in a foreign country when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home.
Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is NordVPN. It offers superb speeds and excellent customer service as we explain just below.
How to watch IIHF World Championship 2025 online from anywhere
Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the ice hockey on your subscriptions?
You can still watch your usual IIHF World Championship live stream thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software makes your devices appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So it's ideal for fans away on vacation or on business. NordVPN is our top choice at the moment, and our NordVPN review explains why.
How to watch IIHF World Championship 2025 live streams in the U.S.
Ice hockey fans in the U.S. can watch every game of the IIHF World Championship on NHL Network.
If you don't have the channel on cable, try a cord-cutting TV service like Sling TV. It comes with two plans: Sling Orange and Sling Blue. Both start at $45.99. Both plans come with an up to half-price discount for your first month.
To get NHL Network you'll need the Sports Extra addon, which is an additional $11 per month.
Other options for the IIHF World Championship
Sling is king here. But if you are considering other streaming options, choose wisely.
DirecTV Stream (5-day free trial) carries NHL Network on its MySports plan, costing $69.99 per month before tax.
Fubo (7-day free trial) carries NHL Network on its Elite plan, which costs $94.99 per month, but you'll get your first month for $74.99 after a 7-day free trial.
If you're outside of the U.S. but would normally have access to one of the above options, you can watch an IIHF World Championship live stream by using a VPN, such as NordVPN.
How to watch IIHF World Championship 2025 live streams in Canada
In Canada, every single game of the 2025 IIHF World Championship is on TSN Plus.
The streaming service grants access to everything TSN has to offer on an $8/month or $80/year subscription basis.
If you're outside Canada but have a subscription, you can watch IIHF World Championship live streams using a VPN such as NordVPN.
How to watch IIHF World Championship 2025 live streams in the U.K.
The 2025 IIHF World Championship is being shown on Premier Sports in the U.K..
A subscription costs £15.99 per month, but if you're willing to commit to a whole year you'll pay just £11.99 each month.
Premier Sports also holds the rights to the NHL, European Champions Cup, Top 14 and United Rugby Championship rugby, and La Liga and Coppa Italia soccer.
If you're not in the U.K., you can still follow your usual IIHF World Championship live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN.
How to watch IIHF World Championship 2025 live streams in Australia
The IIHF World Championship is exclusive to IIHF.tv in Australia, where you can pick up a tournament pass for €15 (roughly AU$26).
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, as we mentioned earlier.
IIHF World Championship 2025 schedule
Friday, May 9
10:20 a.m. — Finland 2-1 Austria
10:20 a.m. — Czechia 5-4 Switzerland (OT)
2:20 p.m. — Slovakia 0-5 Sweden
2:20 p.m. — United States 5-0 Denmark
Saturday, May 10
6:20 a.m. — Canada 4-0 Slovenia
6:20 a.m. — Kazakhstan 2-1 Norway
10:20 a.m. — Austria 2-4 Sweden
10:20 a.m. — Hungary 1-6 Germany
2:20 p.m. — Latvia 4-1 France
2:20 p.m. — Switzerland 5-2 Denmark
Sunday, May 11
6:20 a.m. — Slovenia 1-3 Slovakia
6:20 a.m. — Hungary 0-6 United States
10:20 a.m. — Canada 7-1 Latvia
10:20 a.m. — Kazakhstan 1-4 Germany
2:20 p.m. — France 3-4 Finland (OT)
2:20 p.m. — Czechia 2-1 Norway
Monday, May 12
10:20 a.m. — Slovakia 2-3 Austria (GWS)
10:20 a.m. — Switzerland 3-0 United States
2:20 p.m. — Sweden 2-1 Finland
2:20 p.m. — Denmark 2-7 Czechia
Tuesday, May 13
10:20 a.m. — Latvia 5-2 Slovenia
10:20 a.m. — Germany 5-2 Norway
2:20 p.m. — France 0-5 Canada
2:20 p.m. — Hungary 4-2 Kazakhstan
Wednesday, May 14
10:20 a.m. — France 1-2 Slovakia
10:20 a.m. — Norway 5-6 United States (OT)
2:20 p.m. — Sweden 6-0 Latvia
2:20 p.m. — Denmark 5-1 Kazakhstan
Thursday, May 15
10:20 a.m. — Slovenia vs Finland
10:20 a.m. — Germany vs Switzerland
2:20 p.m. — Austria vs Canada
2:20 p.m. — Hungary vs Czechia
Friday, May 16
10:20 a.m. — France vs Austria
10:20 a.m. — Denmark vs Hungary
2:20 p.m. — Slovenia vs Sweden
2:20 p.m. — Norway vs Switzerland
Saturday, May 17
6:20 a.m. — Latvia vs Finland
6:20 a.m. — Germany vs United States
10:20 a.m. — Sweden vs France
10:20 a.m. — Kazakhstan vs Czechia
2:20 p.m. — Slovakia vs Canada
2:20 p.m. — Norway vs Denmark
Sunday, May 18
10:20 a.m. — Austria vs Slovenia
10:20 a.m. — United States vs Kazakhstan
2:20 p.m. — Latvia vs Slovakia
2:20 p.m. — Switzerland vs Hungary
Monday, May 19
10:20 a.m. — Slovenia vs France
10:20 a.m. — Czechia vs Germany
2:20 p.m. — Finland vs Canada
2:20 p.m. — Norway vs Hungary
Tuesday, May 20
6:20 a.m. — Austria vs Latvia
6:20 a.m. — Kazakhstan vs Switzerland
10:20 a.m. — Finland vs Slovakia
10:20 a.m. — United States vs Czechia
2:20 p.m. — Canada vs Sweden
2:20 p.m. — Denmark vs Germany
Thursday, May 22 — Quarter-finals
10:20 a.m. — TDB vs TBD
10:20 a.m. — TDB vs TBD
2:20 p.m. — TDB vs TBD
2:20 p.m. — TDB vs TBD
Saturday, May 24 — Semi-finals
8:20 a.m. — TDB vs TBD
12:20 p.m. — TDB vs TBD
Sunday, May 25 — Championship
9:20 a.m. — 3rd/4th place playoff
2:20 p.m. — Final
(All times ET)
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