How many followers of the annual world junior tournament 10 days ago would have had Sweden and Czechia pegged to be this year’s gold-medal matchup? Likely not many, but that’s how things have shaken out in the 2026 edition of this event.
Sweden was first to secure its spot in the championship game with a 4-3 shootout win over Finland on Sunday at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota. Later in the evening, Czechia defeated Canada 6-4 in the other semifinal to punch its ticket.
The round-of-four runners-up will now meet Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT to battle for the bronze, while the winners go for gold at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT. Ahead of the medal games, here is a by-the-numbers look at the contest that will crown one team champion.
1. It’s been just one year since Sweden and Czechia last met for a medal at this tournament, when they competed for bronze in 2025. The Czechs came out on top, winning 3-2 in an epic 14-round shootout.
2. Sweden and Czechia have each won two world junior gold medals. The Swedes did so in 1981 in West Germany and again in 2012, when they beat Russia in Calgary. The Czechs, meanwhile, earned back-to-back golds in 2000 and 2001 — the first over the Russians in Skelleftea, Sweden, and the second against Finland in Moscow.
3. For three straight years now, Czechia has dashed Canada’s gold-medal hopes, knocking out the regularly favoured team in the quarterfinals of the 2024 and 2025 world juniors. This streak of revenge follows Canada’s gold-medal win over Czechia back in 2023.
4. Both Sweden and Czechia have played for medals in the last four world juniors, the longest active streaks among all countries. Over that span, the Swedes secured one silver and one bronze, while the Czechs earned one silver and two bronze.
8. Sunday’s early game stretched past regulation and three-on-three overtime before finally being settled in a shootout that went eight rounds. Anton Frondell was the hero for Sweden, scoring on his third attempt against Finnish goaltender Petteri Rimpinen.
10. It has been 10 years since neither Canada nor the United States appeared in the gold-medal game, making this the first all-European final since 2016. That year, Finland edged Russia 4-3 in overtime while hosting the tournament in Helsinki.
11. Czech forward Vojtech Cihar enters Monday’s meeting with Sweden having posted 11 points, tied with Canadian defenceman Zayne Parekh and forward Michael Hage for the tournament lead. Over six games, Cihar has four goals and seven assists, is plus-seven and has recorded 19 shots on goal.
12. The Swedes actually own more silver medals at this competition than any other nation, with 12. Their most recent silver was claimed in 2024, when they hosted the tournament in Gothenburg, but were beaten 6-2 by the Americans in the final.
15. Of the 30 players on Czechia’s roster, 15 play their club hockey in the CHL — nine in the WHL, five in the OHL and one in the QMJHL. The WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and Prince Albert Raiders, along with the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs, each have two players loaned to Czechia for the tournament.
25. As noted, the Czechs have not won a gold medal since 2001, meaning a victory Monday night would mark their first world juniors title in 25 years. Ending a quarter-century drought would be momentous for the nation.
29. Between Sweden and Czechia, 29 players on the two rosters have already been drafted by NHL teams. Sweden accounts for 17 of those players, while Czechia has 12, with the remaining skaters eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. Czechia boasts three first-round picks in Radim Mrtka (Buffalo Sabres, ninth overall in 2025), Vaclav Nestrasil (Chicago Blackhawks, 25th overall in 2025) and Adam Jiricek (St. Louis Blues, 16th overall in 2024). Sweden matches that total with Anton Frondell (Chicago Blackhawks, third overall in 2025), Victor Eklund (New York Islanders, 16th overall in 2025) and Sascha Boumedienne (Winnipeg Jets, 28th overall in 2025).
30. The last time the United States hosted the world juniors and failed to reach a medal game was 30 years ago, in 1996, when the tournament was held in Boston, Amherst and Marlborough, Massachusetts. This year marks the first time in the 21st century that the Americans have not reached the medal round, after hosting four times in that span.
74. When Czechia scored the game-winning goal against Canada in the semifinal, a mere 74 seconds remained in regulation. Tomas Poletin beat Canadian netminder Jack Ivankovic 18:46 into the third period for the Czechs’ fifth goal of the game, and an empty-net goal by Vojtech Cihar subsequently sealed the win with 26 seconds remaining.
126. Goaltender Love Harenstam has been a standout for Sweden, appearing in five of its six games. He has recorded the second-most saves in the tournament with 126, behind only Denmark’s Anton Wilde (148), and has faced the second-most shots at 139, again trailing only Wilde (173). Harenstam also ranks second in save percentage at .906, behind Ivankovic (.917), while his 2.52 goals-against average is third-best. He will likely pose a formidable challenge for the Czechs.
