Betting on IIHF World Championship 2021

The 2021 IIHF World Championship has arrived and there is a lot of attention being given to this Ice Hockey tournament in particular. Read on to get in the know when it comes to betting on the Ice Hockey World Championship 2021.

The 2020 event was cancelled and so we now have 16 of the world’s best teams battling it out to be crowned champion in 2021. So, if you want to get ahead of the game then continue on as we fill you in on all the tournament details and some of our top tips as well. 

IIHF World Championship 2021

Right then, let’s get into the details of the tournament and explain who is competing as well as the structure of the fixture list. Firstly, we should point out that there has been a location change for the tournament. It was initially meant to be held in both Latvia and Belarus. However, due to political issues the decision was made to carry out all the games within Latvia across two separate arenas. Not a huge change, but one worth noting before we get into the finer details.

Competing nations

So, who can we find competing in this year’s IIHF World Championship? 

Here are the teams separated into their initial Groups (A and B):

Important Tournament Details:

• The Tournament is held from 21^st May to June 1^st.
• All Group A fixtures will be played out at the Olympic Sports Centre.
• All Group B fixtures will be played out at the Arēna Rīga
• The Grand Final is played on June 6^th at the Arēna Rīga

IIHF World Championship 2021 Betting Opportunities

Any typical ice hockey match can provide multiple markets from simple match-winner to handicap betting and correct score. The fact that this is a major world championship means that your market selection will only get bigger and better. So, let’s pick out the common and most popular betting markets that fans will be putting their money on this year.

1x2 / Match Result

If you are new to betting then we suggest starting out with the 1x2 betting market. It’s a quick and easy way to get a wager on any of the games. You simply pick out who you think will win, Team A or Team B. Some bookmakers will give you the chance to bet on the draw, but this will only relate to normal time. This is because all ice hockey games need to be decided with a winner through either Overtime or a Shootout.

Total Goals

Total Goals is a popular betting market for bettors because you do not have to predict which team is going to win. The bookmaker will likely give a number, such as 5.5 goals, and you then predict whether the total number of goals from both teams will be over or under. If you find a fixture where both teams are extremely offensive then betting on Over 5.5 Goals would be the sensible option.

Handicap Betting

Handicap betting is an excellent way to even up a one-sided match. These bets will come in more useful during the earlier stages of the tournament where you are more likely to find one-sided matches. For example, Canada is a big favourite against Latvia, so you could try and balance out the match by giving Latvia a 2.5 goal handicap/advantage.

Correct Score

If you are looking for some bigger odds then we suggest looking through the Correct Score betting market. Obviously, bigger odds mean that the bet is less likely to come through as a winner. A little bit of research can give you some hints towards what the final score may be. Do you think Canada will beat Latvia 4-0? You could get between +1000 to +1500 on the Moneyline. 

IIHF World Championships Betting Predictions

Sixteen teams will be playing in the tournament but clearly, there can only be one winner! Next up we will be looking into the predictions of the outright winner along with some other popular predictions being touted by our betting experts.

Outright Winner

The two favourites coming into the tournament is our very own team, Canada, and the Russian Olympic Committee team. The latter replaced the Russian men’s national team due to doping issues, so the Russian Olympic has put together a team of Olympic athletes. Still, the Russians are tipped to reach the final rounds of the tournament. Canada, on the other hand, is getting a mixed set of predictions, and some suggest the team may struggle.

Sweden and the Czech Republic are the two next contenders if you are looking for more value in your odds. Looking for a surprise winner? Take a closer look at Finland. This is a team on the rise. Switzerland is also being cast aside by bookmakers, but recent form suggests otherwise.

Group Winners

You have a few different ways to look at this with the obvious picks going to Canada and Russia. However, as we point out shortly, there are other teams that are not being given the odds they rightly deserve. This is a plus point for us bettors though, and so bets on Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and perhaps the US could all prove to be successful with tempting returns. It may take the top teams a bit more time than usual to get into their full playing style, especially after the travel implications surrounding this year. So, outside Group Winners could prove to be profitable.

Teams To Forget

Let’s face it, there are some teams that have little to no chance of making their way to the final knockout stages. It’s a good time to list those teams and make sure you put your money elsewhere. Here are those teams, in no particular order: Italy, Great Britain, and Kazakhstan. Sure, you’ll get great odds and huge returns, but the sensible money is elsewhere.

Teams With Value Odds

• Switzerland – The Swiss has arguably one of the best training camps in the world and they are in a perfect position to put in a good run in this tournament. The odds are well worth looking into for the outright win and you will find some good value as they come up against the better teams. Do not ignore the Swiss!

• Denmark – The Danes may not have enough to win the tournament outright but the odds on them making it into the top three is sure worth a punt. 

• Latvia – There is always a lot of hope when it comes to the hosts of most tournaments, but the Latvian team has a little more than hope on its side. Many of the members play for Dinamo Riga and so there will be a lot of natural cohesion within the team already. Latvia to make the final four? It wouldn’t be out of the question given the current circumstances.

Important Dates

• Group Stages – May 21 to June 1
• Quarterfinals – June 3
• Semi-Finals – June 5
• Third-Place Match – June 6
• Grand Final – June 6

Previous Winners

Research is everything when it comes to betting on sports and looking through the previous winners is always a good way to start your predictions. 2020 was cancelled and so we should start our search from 2019 in which Finland took the gold medal in Slovakia. Canada and Russia were runners up here and again all these three will be looking for a medal again two years down the line. 

Sweden took the honours in 2018 with Switzerland and the US taking the runner-up medals. Again, Sweden also won the previous year to that in 2017 with Canada and Russian again taking second and third. The same teams keep popping up, right?

If we look at the medal winners from 2010 then Russia has collected seven medals with two championships in 2012 and 2014. Canada has only four medals with back-to-back championships in 2015 and 2016. Sweden is the only other country to manage this back-to-back feat in 2017 and 2018. So, you can see just by this brief evaluation of recent winners that the likes of Sweden, Russia, and our very own Canada are always up there competing. Keep this in mind when you are placing your bets.

IIHF World Championships – FAQ