Every four years, we gather for the most prestigious winter sporting event in the world – the Olympic Winter Games. The 2026 Milan-Cortina Games get underway this weekend. Several events are done over the course of a day, while others span most of the 17-day spectacle. Hockey remains one of the marquee events, and fans get to soak in the men’s action from Day 6 to final final whistle of the Gold Medal game on Day 17.
We’re breaking down all the action, shedding a betting light on what to expect in the Milan-Cortina Men’s Hockey Tournament!
Group A
The Group A field is headlined by the tournament favorites Canadians. Canada enters the Olympics as +120 chalk to claim this year’s gold medal. The hockey juggernauts will be tested by Czechia in the preliminary round, but there’s still a big gap between these two teams. Canada is loaded with perennial All-Stars and MVP candidates, whereas Czechia features 12 players that are currently playing overseas.
Still, Czechia is a solid bet to finish in group play. Switzerland could potentially upend the Slavic country’s second-place finish, but they will need to be tactically flawless to pull off the upset. France is the throw away in this group. Scoring a few goals or covering a puck line is the best le Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge could hope for.
Group B
Expect a more tightly contested showing in Group B. The defending Gold Medalists Finland enter the Men’s Hockey Tournament as the higher ranked team in international play; however, Sweden is priced as the odds-on favorite to reign atop the bracket. Sweden has the third-shortest odds to claim gold, currently sitting at +600. The Finns are in contention, albeit at a more distant +1100 to win it all.
Sweden and Finland are clear frontunners, but we can’t discount Slovakia’s chances of stunning the group with a potential upset. The Slovaks need to stay close versus the Scandinavian counterparts for seeding purposes in the knock-out stage, but all three teams will easily dispatch the host Italians.
Group C
The third and final group is headlined by the upstart USA. The Americans enter the draw with +210 to win gold, and are widely expected to trounce their preliminary round opponents. Germany is Team USA’s stiffest competition in group play, but the Germans are still a few leagues below the Americans, as reflected in their +5500 gold medal odds.
Nevertheless, both teams are lightyears ahead of Latvia and Denmark, who will battle it out for third place in the group. Both teams feature NHL players, and it will come down to which team executes in their draw-closing showdown on February 15. The victor will have a slightly easier path in the knockout round. Irrespective of finish, both will be hefty underdogs in the playoffs.
Playoff Format
The differentiating factor in the 2026 Winter Olympics is that all 12 teams will compete in the knockout round. The top four ranked teams get an automatic berth in the quarterfinals, leaving the eight other teams to compete for the remaining spots. The three group winners will seed as the top three teams, with the highest-ranked remaining team slotting into the fourth seed. We predict that Canada, Sweden, and USA will be ranked in the top three, with the Germans nabbing the fourth spot by virtue of their inferior group opponents.
From teams are seeded based on higher position in their respective groups, higher number of points, better goal differential, higher number of goals-for, and finally higher IIHF World Ranking. Don’t expect many upsets in the first knock-out round. There is a clear difference between the contenders, and the four countries just happy to be there.
Quater- and Semifinals
It’s worth noting that teams are not re-seeded until the semifinals. That means that if by some miracle France or Italy stun the world and win in the first-round, they won’t be forced to play the best teams. Instead, they will slot into their prospective matchup, presumably against the #3 or #4 seed. That changes in the semifinals, as the highest-ranked team will play the lowest ranked team, irrespective of how the bracket is set up. Subsequently the two middle seeds will face-off.
Gold and Bronze Medal Games
The winner of both semifinals will compete for in a winner-take-all Gold Medal Game, leaving the remaining two teams to compete for bronze. The Bronze Medal Game is scheduled for February 21, 2026, at 8:40 pm local time. As the marquee event, the Gold Medal Game is planned for the last day of the Olympics, February 22, 2026, at 2:10 pm local.
Betting Implications
Betting has become commonplace around the world, leaving bettors no shortage of opportunities in advance of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Odds are up for opening-round games and Gold Medal futures. Canada and USA are favorites by a wide margin, with Sweden, Finland, and Czechia ranking three through five, respectively.
Hedging opportunities are a big part of any international tournament, so stay up to date on all the injuries and odds, expanding your futures portfolio to guarantee a profit.
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