How to watch IIHF World Championship 2025 – live stream, TV channels, schedule

Sidney Crosby #87 of Team Canada skates ahead of teammate Nathan MacKinnon #29 in February 2025
(Image credit: Getty Images)

With Sidney Crosby and Ted Lindsay Award finalist Nathan MacKinnon representing Canada for the first time in years, it's going to take something special to stop Andre Tourigny's men at the IIHF World Championship in Stockholm and Herning.

Read on and we'll explain how you can watch IIHF World Championship live streams from anywhere with a VPN — and potentially for FREE.

2025 IIHF World Championship live stream: TV channels and dates

The 2025 IIHF World Championship runs from Friday, May 9 to Sunday, May 25. (Full schedule below.)
• WATCH FOR FREE — ORF (Austria)
• U.S. — NHL Network via Sling TV
• Canada
TSN Plus
• U.K.Premier Sports
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free

They only finished 4th at last year's tournament, but they couldn't call upon their NHL contingent then. This time, players who either missed out on the 2025 NHL Playoffs altogether or were eliminated early are eligible to participate, which means Crosby is back in the fold, having captained Canada to 4 Nations Face-Off glory in February, a decade after he last got the chance to represent his country.

More NHL players are likely to declare in the hours leading up to the puck drop, but the United States roster features Brady Skjei, Joey Daccord and Matty Beniers, Sweden have Mika Zibanejad, Marcus Pettersson and Adam Larsson, and Switzerland have Devils trio Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Jonas Siegenthaler.

Although many of the rosters will likely look very different come the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics next February, the IIHF World Championship is the last major stop on the road.

Here's everything you need to know to watch IIHF World Championship live streams online and without cable. Scroll down for the full schedule.

Watch IIHF World Championship 2025 live streams for FREE

Ice hockey fans in Austria are in luck, as they can watch select IIHF World Championship games for FREE on ORF.

All you need to do is register an account, and the platform works across a wide range of devices and operating systems.

What if you're usually based in Austria, but aren't at home for that free IIHF World Championship coverage? Perhaps, you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on a paid streaming service in a foreign country when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home.

Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is NordVPN. It offers superb speeds and excellent customer service as we explain just below.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2025 online from anywhere

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the ice hockey on your subscriptions?

You can still watch your usual IIHF World Championship live stream thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software makes your devices appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So it's ideal for fans away on vacation or on business. NordVPN is our top choice at the moment, and our NordVPN review explains why.

Image
Exclusive deal

If you've heard of NordVPN, there's a good reason: We specialize in testing and reviewing VPN services and NordVPN is the one we rate best. It's outstanding at unblocking streaming services, it's fast and it has top-level security features too. With over 7,000 servers, across 110+ countries, and at a great price too, it's easy to recommend.

Get 70% off with this NordVPN deal

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2025 live streams in the U.S.

US flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Ice hockey fans in the U.S. can watch every game of the IIHF World Championship on NHL Network.

If you don't have the channel on cable, try a cord-cutting TV service like Sling TV. It comes with two plans: Sling Orange and Sling Blue. Both start at $45.99. Both plans come with an up to half-price discount for your first month.

To get NHL Network you'll need the Sports Extra addon, which is an additional $11 per month.

Image

Sling offers live TV packages that let you watch live NHL, NBAMLB, NFL, F1, Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open tennis, FA Cup soccer and more, via the likes of ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, TBS and TNT. For a limited time, you can get your first month of Sling Orange half price.

Other options for the IIHF World Championship

Sling is king here. But if you are considering other streaming options, choose wisely.

DirecTV Stream (5-day free trial) carries NHL Network on its MySports plan, costing $69.99 per month before tax.

Fubo (7-day free trial) carries NHL Network on its Elite plan, which costs $94.99 per month, but you'll get your first month for $74.99 after a 7-day free trial.

If you're outside of the U.S. but would normally have access to one of the above options, you can watch an IIHF World Championship live stream by using a VPN, such as NordVPN.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2025 live streams in Canada

Canadian flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

In Canada, every single game of the 2025 IIHF World Championship is on TSN Plus.

The streaming service grants access to everything TSN has to offer on an $8/month or $80/year subscription basis.

If you're outside Canada but have a subscription, you can watch IIHF World Championship live streams using a VPN such as NordVPN.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2025 live streams in the U.K.

British flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The 2025 IIHF World Championship is being shown on Premier Sports in the U.K..

A subscription costs £15.99 per month, but if you're willing to commit to a whole year you'll pay just £11.99 each month.

Premier Sports also holds the rights to the NHL, European Champions Cup, Top 14 and United Rugby Championship rugby, and La Liga and Coppa Italia soccer.

If you're not in the U.K., you can still follow your usual IIHF World Championship live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN.

How to watch IIHF World Championship 2025 live streams in Australia

Australian flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The IIHF World Championship is exclusive to IIHF.tv in Australia, where you can pick up a tournament pass for €15 (roughly AU$26).

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action on your account as if you were back home, as we mentioned earlier.

IIHF World Championship 2025 schedule

Friday, May 9
10:20 a.m. — Finland vs Austria
10:20 a.m. — Czechia vs Switzerland
2:20 p.m. — Slovakia vs Sweden
2:20 p.m. — United States vs Denmark

Saturday, May 10
6:20 a.m. — Canada vs Slovenia
6:20 a.m. — Kazakhstan vs Norway
10:20 a.m. — Austria vs Sweden
10:20 a.m. — Hungary vs Germany
2:20 p.m. — Latvia vs France
2:20 p.m. — Switzerland vs Denmark

Sunday, May 11
6:20 a.m. — Slovenia vs Slovakia
6:20 a.m. — Hungary vs United States
10:20 a.m. — Canada vs Latvia
10:20 a.m. — Kazakhstan vs Germany
2:20 p.m. — France vs Finland
2:20 p.m. — Czechia vs Norway

Monday, May 12
10:20 a.m. — Slovakia vs Austria
10:20 a.m. — Switzerland vs United States
2:20 p.m. — Sweden vs Finland
2:20 p.m. — Denmark vs Czechia

Tuesday, May 13
10:20 a.m. — Latvia vs Slovenia
10:20 a.m. — Germany vs Norway
2:20 p.m. — France vs Canada
2:20 p.m. — Hungary vs Kazakhstan

Wednesday, May 14
10:20 a.m. — France vs Slovakia
10:20 a.m. — Norway vs United States
2:20 p.m. — Sweden vs Latvia
2:20 p.m. — Denmark vs Kazakhstan

Thursday, May 15
10:20 a.m. — Slovenia vs Finland
10:20 a.m. — Germany vs Switzerland
2:20 p.m. — Austria vs Canada
2:20 p.m. — Hungary vs Czechia

Friday, May 16
10:20 a.m. — France vs Austria
10:20 a.m. — Denmark vs Hungary
2:20 p.m. — Slovenia vs Sweden
2:20 p.m. — Norway vs Switzerland

Saturday, May 17
6:20 a.m. — Latvia vs Finland
6:20 a.m. — Germany vs United States
10:20 a.m. — Sweden vs France
10:20 a.m. — Kazakhstan vs Czechia
2:20 p.m. — Slovakia vs Canada
2:20 p.m. — Norway vs Denmark

Sunday, May 18
10:20 a.m. — Austria vs Slovenia
10:20 a.m. — United States vs Kazakhstan
2:20 p.m. — Latvia vs Slovakia
2:20 p.m. — Switzerland vs Hungary

Monday, May 19
10:20 a.m. — Slovenia vs France
10:20 a.m. — Czechia vs Germany
2:20 p.m. — Finland vs Canada
2:20 p.m. — Norway vs Hungary

Tuesday, May 20
6:20 a.m. — Austria vs Latvia
6:20 a.m. — Kazakhstan vs Switzerland
10:20 a.m. — Finland vs Slovakia
10:20 a.m. — United States vs Czechia
2:20 p.m. — Canada vs Sweden
2:20 p.m. — Denmark vs Germany

Thursday, May 22 — Quarter-finals
10:20 a.m. — TDB vs TBD
10:20 a.m. — TDB vs TBD
2:20 p.m. — TDB vs TBD
2:20 p.m. — TDB vs TBD

Saturday, May 24 — Semi-finals
8:20 a.m. — TDB vs TBD
12:20 p.m. — TDB vs TBD

Sunday, May 25 — Championship
9:20 a.m. — 3rd/4th place playoff
2:20 p.m. — Final

(All times ET)

More from Tom's Guide

Disclaimer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

TOPICS
Aatif Sulleyman

Aatif is a freelance journalist and copywriter based in the UK. He’s written about technology, sport and politics for a wide range of publications including TechRadar, What Hi-Fi?, The Independent, Trusted Reviews, and Newsweek. These days, he focuses mainly on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: live TV and penny-pinching. When he's not attending a top-flight English soccer match, you can find him perfecting his table tennis skills.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.