Great Britain face Finland this evening in game five at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship at the Swiss Life Arena in Zurich.
GB go into the game on the back of last night’s encouraging performance against host nation Switzerland.
The hosts skated to a 4-1 victory but GB competed with the world’s second seeds, with Josh Waller scoring in the second period.
Finland are in ominous form with four wins from four to sit second in Group A with 20 goals scored and only five conceded.
The Fins have beaten Germany (3-1), Hungary (4-1), USA (6-2) and Latvia (7-1).
Team News
Head Coach Pete Russell has a fully-fit squad to choose from and will name his 22-man line-up ahead of face-off.
Both netminders have started two matches each so far with Ben Bowns getting the nod against USA and Hungary, with Mat Robson starting against Austria and Switzerland.
Focus on Finland (info from iihf.com)
Finland last won gold at the Men’s Worlds in the most memorable year of 2022 when they also won gold at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
This year’s Winter Olympics in Milan saw them take home a bronze and they are well-positioned to battle for a medal in Switzerland.
The marquee roster addition is Aleksander Barkov. The two-time Stanley Cup champion with Florida missed the entire NHL season and the Olympics due to knee surgery, but he is now fit and captain of the side.
It’s another massive tough test for Pete Russell’s side and other notable NHL names include Anton Lundell, Teuvo Teravainen, Olli Maatta and Niklas Matinpalo.
Previous Meetings
Britain and Finland have only met five times in a World Championship and GB won the first meeting 6-3 in 1951.
GB won 7-5 in 1962 but Finland have won the next three matches in 2019, 2022 and 2024.
Live Coverage and Updates
The match can be watched on iihf.tv with individual game purchases and tournament passes available. Click here to buy and for more information.
There’ll be updates throughout the game on the Great Britain X account which can be followed here.
World Championship: Group A in Zurich
Saturday 16th May: Great Britain 2-5 Austria
Sunday 17th May: Great Britain 1-5 USA
Tuesday 19th May: Hungary 5-0 Great Britain
Thursday 21st May: Switzerland 4-1 Great Britain
Friday 22nd May: Finland v Great Britain 20:20 (19:20 BST)
Sunday 24th May: Great Britain v Latvia 16:20 (15:20 BST)
Monday 25th May: Germany v Great Britain 20:20 (19:20 BST)