After finishing the round-robin stage with perfect records in the 2026 Winter Olympics, Team USA and Team Canada are now gearing up for the nail-biting knockout round of the competition.
Canada (Group A winner) has secured the number one seed, while the USA (Group C winner) is the No. 2 seed in the Winter Olympics after winning their respective groups. Thus, the two countries will enjoy a bye in the first round, as they wait for their opponents in the quarterfinals stage.
Canada will take on the winner out of the matchup between No. 8 Czechia and No. 9 Denmark. Meanwhile, the USA will await for the victor out of No. 7 Sweden and No. 10 Latvia. Because Canada and the USA are the top two seeds in the tournament, they can’t play each other until the gold medal game.
Full bracket
Along with Canada and the USA, Slovakia (Group B winner) and Finland (fourth-best seed) will enjoy some rest, too. No. 3 Slovakia—one of the biggest surprises of the tournament—will go up against No. 6 Germany or No. 11 France in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, No. 4 Finland will play No. 5 Switzerland or No. 12 Italy.
Ahead of the semifinals, the matchups will be determined based on the seedings. Thus, Canada and USA will head their separate ways until the final (Feb. 22).
- CAN vs. Winner CZE/DEN
- USA vs. Winner SWE/LAT
- SVK vs. Winner GER/FRA
- FIN vs. Winner SUI/ITA
Tough matchup for Team USA
In more ways than one, Team USA got the short end of the stick. Obviously, to win gold one must go through any opponent put in the way, but the Americans may have preferred to face a different team than potentially drawing Sweden in the quarterfinals.
On paper, Sweden is the toughest team among the eight sides competing in the first round. Sweden hasn’t looked great so far, but if it makes it past Latvia, it could pick up momentum before taking on the USA, which has shown its fair share of inconsistencies as well.
After finishing round robin with 9 points, a 3-0-0 record, and a +11 goal differential, the prospect of coming across Sweden in the quarterfinals feels like too little a reward for the Americans in Milano Cortina 2026. To be the best, one must beat the best, though. So make no mistake, Team USA will be up to the challenge.
SURVEY Which team has the easiest potential rivals in the QF?
Which team has the easiest potential rivals in the QF?
already voted 2 fans