Hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics: Top Betting Options
The Olympic hockey tournament is a very complex event to analyze. Firstly, the games are held only once every four years. Secondly, national teams play between three to six matches at the Winter Olympics. Thirdly, each Olympics sees different team rosters, sometimes even different generations. However, this doesn't mean there aren't consistent patterns from tournament to tournament.
In this article, we've compiled key Olympic hockey predictions 2026 to help choose a betting strategy. By analyzing all hockey competitions in the 21st century, we offer five options on what to bet on at the Olympics. The Scores24 editorial team has studied the best trends for betting on the 2026 Winter Olympics, in our opinion. The material is based on the odds current at the time of publication.
“Dark Horses” from Finland
The Finns are rarely considered contenders not only for Olympic “gold” but even for Olympic medals. They have always been behind Canada, the USA, Russia, Sweden, and sometimes even the Czech Republic. As a result, the odds for the success of the Scandinavians are high.
Odds* for national teams to finish in the top 3 at the Olympic Games:
- Canada – 1.18
- USA – 1.37
- Sweden – 1.95
- Finland – 2.3
- Czech Republic – 3.2
- Switzerland – 4
- Germany – 15
- Slovakia – 16
*Odds are approximate and may vary across different bookmakers
But Finland's performance statistics tell a different story – in 4 out of the last 5 Olympic hockey tournaments, their team has won medals. The Finns were first in 2022, second in 2006, and third in 2010 and 2014.
Experts note that Finland's roster for the Olympics is one of the most modest among the top teams. However, each line has stars capable of leading the game: it seems that goalie Juuko-Pekka Luukkonen will recover from injury in time, and Rasmus Ristolainen, Mikko Rantanen, and Artturi Lehkonen will shine. Moreover, Finland's group is such that they can directly compete for the quarter-finals.
Our Pick
Finland will finish in the top 3 (approximate odds 2.3).
A Surprise from the Hosts. Expect at Least One Goal from Italy
Hosts at the Olympic Games are not the same as the host nation of annual world championships. In team sports, countries often aim for a respectable performance, specifically at the Olympics.
Here, we observe two trends. Firstly, the performance of the Italians at the previous home Olympics in 2006 in Turin – they scored three against Switzerland and Germany, two against Canada, and one against the Czech Republic. They only failed to score against Finland, but the odds for even one goal from Italy against top teams were obviously favorable.
Before making an Italian bet on the upcoming tournament, it is worth considering the second trend: the Olympic cycle of the Italian team, during which the team returned to the top division of the world championship after four years. In the last two World Championships, Italy has shown... In Division I Group A, the Italians became the highest-scoring team.
Italy's scoring performance in the Olympic cycle 2022-2025:
- 2022 World Championship, top division: 12 goals in 7 matches
- 2023 World Championship, Division IA: 23 goals in 5 matches
- 2024 World Championship, Division IA: 19 goals in 5 matches
- 2025 World Championship, Division IA: 18 goals in 5 matches
Italy faces a challenging group at the 2026 Olympics with Sweden, Finland, and Slovakia. However, even the lowest individual totals for the Olympic hosts will have attractive odds, as their play is not expected to be spectacular.
Our Pick
Italy's individual total in the match against Sweden over 1 (estimated odds of 2). We anticipate a similar choice in the following games against Slovakia and Finland.
Czechs score few goals, especially against top teams
The Czechs have not won a medal in four Olympics, largely due to low scoring. Yes, Boston's top scorer David Pastrnak will travel to Italy, but the Czech team's performance stats challenge his individual stats.
The average scoring of the Czech Republic in the group stages of the last four Olympic Games did not exceed 3.5 goals per game:
- 2022 Olympics: 8 goals in 3 matches
- 2018 Olympics: 8 goals in 3 matches
- 2014 Olympics: 6 goals in 3 matches
- 2010 Olympics: 10 goals in 3 matches
In these 12 group stage matches, the Czech Republic scored 3 or more goals only five times. When considering games only against top teams, the Czechs scored 3+ goals only three times in the 21st century – against Canada in 2002 (3:3) and 2018 (4:6), and against Russia in 2022 (6:5 OT).
Our Pick
Czech Republic's individual total in the match against Canada under 2.5 (estimated odds of 1.5). In games against Switzerland and France, the odds will be lower, but in these matches, we suggest betting on an individual total under 3.5 goals.
The USA will send a high-scoring team
In the 21st century, the USA team has been the highest-scoring team in their group 4 out of 6 times, and 3 times the highest-scoring among all teams at this stage.
USA's scoring performance at the Olympic Games in the 21st century:
- 2002 Olympics: 16 goals in 3 matches
- 2006 Olympics: 13 goals in 5 matches
- 2010 Olympics: 14 goals in 3 matches
- 2014 Olympics: 14 goals in 3 matches
- 2018 Olympics: 4 goals in 3 matches
- 2022 Olympics: 15 goals in 3 matches
In the last four tournaments, the number of goals scored by the USA team has been impressive.the Americans have only dropped below 4 goals per game once. Considering that the USA team will feature players like Tage Thompson and Auston Matthews, and their opponents include teams like Denmark, Latvia, and Germany, the Americans might once again achieve a scoring rate of over 4 goals per match.
Our Pick
Team to score the most goals in the group stage: USA (estimated odds 2.75).
Finland and Slovakia Start Strong
Finland and Slovakia will officially kick off the men's Olympic hockey tournament with a head-to-head match on February 11. Considering the last five Olympic tournaments, both the Finns and the Slovaks have had high-scoring opening matches: Finland's first 5 matches ended with at least 5 goals, and Slovakia's 4 out of 5.
First matches of Finland and Slovakia in Olympic hockey tournaments:
- 2022: Finland – Slovakia 6:2
- 2018: Finland – Germany 5:2, Slovakia – Russia 3:2
- 2014: Finland – Austria 8:4, USA – Slovakia 7:1
- 2010: Finland – Belarus 5:1, Czech Republic – Slovakia 3:1
- 2006: Finland – Switzerland 5:0, Slovakia – Russia 5:3
Our Pick
Total goals in the tournament's opening match Finland – Slovakia over 5 (estimated odds 1.71).
Bonus on the Women's Hockey Tournament
We have already written about the host country's status and special motivation. The Italian men's team is an obvious underdog. The same goes for the women's hockey tournament, but the Italian women will have one main opportunity to score points and avoid finishing last in the group – the match against France.
The teams have only played each other once – in 2016, and that match ended in a victory for the French (3:1). But let's remember the previous Olympics – in Beijing 2022, few bet on China, but the Chinese women gathered themselves for each of the four matches, defeating Denmark (3:1), Japan (2:1 OT), losing to Sweden (1:2) and Czech Republic (1:3).
Bookmakers consider Italy the main underdog of Group B, but the hosts will certainly have chances to score points and avoid finishing last.
Our Pick
Italy's women's team will finish in positions 1 to 4 in their group of five teams (estimated odds 2.2)
Also, read in our Blog other texts about the 2026 Winter Olympics:
