Canada versus Czechia is becoming somewhat of a pattern at the World Juniors over the past couple of years, as the pair of countries’ paths cross in the medal round once again.
It started in the 2024 clash, where the Czech’s stunned the Canadians with a deflection goal with 11 seconds remaining in the third period to take a 3-2 win.
One year later, in the 2025 rendition, an eerily similar story played out.
Minutes after Canada tied the game late in the third period, Czechia once again found a way to win, scoring the game-sealing goal with just 40 seconds remaining and once again stunning the Canadians in the quarter-finals 4-3.
This year, however, the pair of teams meet in the semifinals with a spot in the gold medal game up for grabs.
The pair of teams have already faced off against one another in this year’s tournament, raising the curtain on preliminary-round play nine days ago.
Canada earned a wild 7-5 victory on Boxing Day in that one, with defenceman Zayne Parekh netting a pair.
The Canadians have continued to score since then by potting 32 goals in five games to lead the tournament (five more than second-best Sweden).
The offensive explosion was evident in their 7-1 quarter-final win over Slovakia, where Canada scored five goals in 5:49 in the back half of the first period to get here.
Czechia advanced to the semi-finals for the fifth year in a row in comfortable fashion, taking down Switzerland 6-2 in their quarter-final matchup.
The Czech’s outshot the Swiss 33-11 in the final 40 minutes and 43-20 overall.
The winner will move on to face either Sweden or Finland in the gold-medal match on Monday, Jan. 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET across the TSN network.
How to watch 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship: Canada vs. Czechia
You can watch Canada vs. Czechia, along with every game at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, LIVE on TSN, TSN.ca and the TSN App.
When: Sunday, Jan. 4
Main Coverage: 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT
Where to watch: TSN1/4/5
The full broadcast schedule can be found here.
