The quarter-final clash of the 2025 Ice Hockey World Championship between Sweden and the Czech Republic will take place on May 22 at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm. Sweden vs. Czech Republic: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Team Sweden
The Swedes narrowly missed out on the top spot in the group stage, finishing just one point behind Canada to secure second place. So far in this World Championship, Sweden has scored 28 goals, second only to Canada, while conceding just eight, making them the second-best defensive team. Elias Lindholm stands out for Sweden, having accumulated 11 points during the group stage, placing him among the top five scorers and snipers of the tournament (7+4).
For the third consecutive year, Sweden will compete in the World Championship playoffs, though they have only advanced past this stage once in that period. Last year, Sweden defeated Finland in the quarter-finals (2-1 in OT), marking their first medal finish since 2018.
- Sweden has scored at least three goals in regular time in 6 of their last 9 World Championship meetings.
- The team has won in regulation in 7 of their last 8 World Championship matches.
- At least five goals have been scored in regulation in 6 of Sweden's last 9 World Championship games.
Team Czech Republic
The Czechs finished third in their group after seven matches, suffering their only defeat against the United States, who edged them on tiebreakers. Notably, the Czech Republic scored 35 goals during the group stage, the highest in the tournament. David Pastrnak (6+8) and Roman Cervenka (5+8) were the standout performers for the team, both ranking among the top three scorers of this World Championship.
In the past three years, the Czech Republic has twice advanced past the World Championship quarter-finals, each time finishing with a medal β bronze in 2022 and gold last year.
- The Czechs have scored at least three goals in regular time in four of their last World Championship encounters.
- The team has won in regulation in 5 of their last 6 World Championship matches.
- The Czech Republic has conceded no more than one goal in regulation in 3 of their last 4 World Championship games.
Sweden vs. Czech Republic: Match Prediction
In their last home World Championship in 2013, Sweden claimed gold and will likely aim for a similar outcome this year as hosts. The team had a predictable group stage, losing only to Canada, and boasts the best defense along with high-caliber players. The Czech Republic also impressed over their seven matches in this World Championship, with their attack being the best in the tournament. However, despite their impressive stats and player potential, breaking through Sweden's defense will be challenging, especially since not all teams have found it easy to score against them in this Championship.
Sweden has defeated the Czech Republic in 6 of their last 10 World Championship meetings (2 via shootout). Additionally, they have won 7 of their last 8 World Championship matches in regulation. Sweden is motivated to limit the Czech Republic's opportunities while capitalizing on their own potential. I believe Sweden is closer to reaching the semi-finals, especially with the support of their home crowd.
My prediction: Sweden to win the match