2025 IIHF World Championship Betting Odds - Bet on Ice Hockey Championship

The IIHF World Championship is one of ice hockey’s biggest events. It’s an annual international hockey tournament, with the IIHF World Championship Division being the main event, as it features the top hockey-playing countries in the world, with many NHL players participating. The 2025 IIHF World Championship is scheduled to take place from May 9-25, 2025 and will be co-hosted by Sweden and Denmark.

To prepare for this ice hockey event , we created a betting guide to explain how you can bet on ice hockey at Stake Sportsbook and introduce you to the key information you need to know ahead of the next IIHF World Championship.

What is the International Ice Hockey (IIHF) World Championship?

The IIHF World Championship is one of the most prestigious events in international ice hockey. Teams from around the world compete for the grand prize, with 16 teams competing in the first division. Canada is the most successful team in the 100+ year history of the competition, with 28 titles to their name. Czechia heads into the 2025 tournament as the reigning champion after winning the tournament in 2024.

History of the IIHF World Championship

The first IIHF World Championship took place in 1920. The competition was initially played every four years and then became an annual event in 1930. Outside of 2020, when it was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 1940-1946 because of World War II, the IIHF World Championship has been played since 1930.

IIHF World Championship Teams

Team Canada was the dominant team early in IIHF history, winning the first six titles. The Canadians remain the best team in IIHF history, winning 28 gold medals, which is more than any other nation, and 53 total medals, which is also more than any other nation. The Soviet Union/Russia is a close second with 27 gold medals. Also, Team Czechia and Team Sweden have 48 total medals, while the Soviet Union/Russia has 47 total medals. Surprisingly, Team USA has lagged with just 20 total medals and only two gold medals in IIHF World Championship history.

Previous Champions

For more recent history, here are the results of the last 10 IIHF World Championships:

Format & Schedule of the 2025 IIHF World Championship

The 2025 IIHF World Championships will feature national teams from 16 countries. Those teams are divided into 2 groups of 8 teams. The preliminary round consists of a round-robin with the top 4 teams in each group advancing to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the bottom team in each group is relegated to the lower division for next year’s tournament.

These are the two groups:

Group A

• Austria

• Canada

• Finland

• France

• Latvia

• Slovakia

• Slovenia

• Sweden

Group B

• Czechia

• Denmark

• Germany

• Hungary

• Kazakhstan

• Norway

• Switzerland

• United States

After the preliminary round, there are 8 that participate in the playoff round, which follows a single-elimination format. The two winners of the semi-final games play in the final while the losers of the semi-final games play in the third-place game.

When is the IIHF World Championship 2025

The 2025 IIHF Championships begin on May 9 and will conclude with the finals on May 25. The IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship is a different annual event that features players under the age of 20. It is scheduled from December 25, 2025, to January 5, 2026.

How to Bet on the IIHF World Championship, Bet Types & Tips

There are extensive hockey betting options available for the 2025 IIHF World Championship at Stake.com. You can bet on the action at the IIHF World Championship with the following wagers:

• Match winner: This is a bet on the team you think will win a specific fixture in the World Championship.

• Handicap betting: If a team is heavily favoured in a specific match, you can back them with a handicap applied for better odds.

• Total goals: You can also bet on over/under a total number of goals to be scored in a World Championship match.

• Outright winner : Before the tournament, you can bet on the nation you think will win the event outright.

• Correct score: You can also place a bet on a match in the World Championship, finishing with a specific score. For instance, you might fancy Czechia to beat Finland 3-1 in the tournament opener.

• First half/second half winner: A popular proposition bet, you can place a wager on the team you think will win the first half and the team you think will win the second half of a match in the World Championship.

• Draw no bet: You can take a tie out of the equation by placing a draw no bet wager on the IIHF World Championship.

If you're just starting out your betting journey, you can check out our online sports betting guide or our guide on how to bet on hockey !

Live Stream Ice Hockey & Live Betting Markets

As well as serving as the world’s leading sports betting platform, Stake.com is the best place to live stream sporting events directly from your account dashboard for free. Simply create an account and sign in to watch ice hockey matches for free. You can then use our same-game-multi-bet-builder to place live ice hockey bets as you watch the action unfold.

Ice Hockey Betting Odds & Payouts

There are almost endless betting opportunities for ice hockey fans at Stake Sportsbook. You can also choose between American odds, fractional odds, and decimal odds when viewing odds and payouts before making your betting pick. Just choose the format you’re comfortable using before analyzing your ideas and placing a wager.

Ice Hockey Betting Tips, Predictions & Strategies

Betting experience is always helpful when placing wagers on events like the 2025 IIHF World Championship. Those with experience tend to have a clear strategy and plan in place. They also know the value of using a system like the Kelly Criterion System to make good choices. When it comes to the IIHF World Championship, specifically, keep these tips in mind:

• Know the key players for each team before betting on a game. Not every star player in the world will participate, so make sure you know who has chosen to represent their country in this competition. It can also be a good idea to get acquainted with young, up-and-coming players like Ryan Leonard and Trey Augustine.

• Give the host nation the benefit of the doubt. It’s not a guarantee that hosting the tournament helps, but from time to time, it’s been a clear advantage. In fact, the IIHF World Championship has been won by a host nation two of the last three years - Finland in 2022 and Czechia in 2024. Plus, Latvia won its first ever medal as a co-host in 2023, showing that home-ice can be a big advantage in this competition.

• Always bet with your head, not your heart. This isn’t always easy to do with national pride on the line. If you don’t think you can be subjective about the chances your favourite team has to win, don’t bet on one of their games.

Bet Bonuses, Promotions & Responsible Gambling

Stake Sportsbook is considered among the best betting sites for many reasons. It starts with our special offers and promotions , including profit boosts and sometimes a reload bonus just for making a deposit. Stake also has a VIP club that offers loyal customers extra benefits and rewards , such as a dedicated VIP host . In fact, we go the extra mile to provide extraordinary customer support to all of our customers.

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At Stake, we fully support safe gambling habits . Betting on hockey and other sports is always meant to be fun. Therefore, we offer several resources to help customers manage their bankroll and make good choices. This includes our Stake Smart guide, which is invaluable when it comes to making good choices and betting in a safe and responsible manner.