Canada vs Norway Prediction 31 May 2026

Canada came up just short of the final, falling 2-4 to Finland in the semifinals. The Canadians had an impressive opening period, heading into the first intermission with a lead thanks to goals from Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway. However, the momentum swung dramatically in the second, as Finland seized control and struck for three unanswered goals. Canada struggled to cope with the relentless Finnish forechecking, which forced turnovers in the neutral zone and disrupted their transition game. In the third period, Canada pushed hard to get back in it, but Finland’s disciplined structure and the solid play of Justus Annunen kept them at bay and sealed the result.

Despite the semifinal defeat, Canada have delivered a strong tournament overall. They cruised through the group stage unbeaten, with Norway the only side to push them to overtime. The Canadians racked up 33 goals in the group phase, showcasing one of the tournament’s most potent attacks. After a disappointing 2025 World Championship, where they were knocked out by Denmark in the quarterfinals (1-2), this campaign already marks significant progress. Now, Canada will look to finish on a high by claiming bronze in the third-place game.

In the semifinals, Norway’s national team faced a level of dominance from their opponents that they hadn’t encountered throughout the tournament. Switzerland cruised to a commanding 6-0 victory, outshooting Norway 30 to 20. By the end of the second period, the tournament hosts had already built a comfortable lead, with Christoph Bertschy, Denis Malgin, Ken Jäger, and Damien Riat all finding the back of the net. In the final frame, Nico Hischier and Théo Rochette capped off the rout. Despite the heavy defeat, Henrik Haukeland once again put in a tremendous shift between the pipes, and Norway as a team still have a shot at claiming their first-ever medal at a major international tournament.

Norway have already produced the biggest surprise of this World Championship. For the first time in their history, the team reached the semifinals and earned a chance to fight for a place on the podium. Few expected Norway to contend for such lofty honors before the tournament began, but they’ve managed to defy expectations. Their group stage clash with today’s opponent was particularly memorable-Norway pushed Switzerland to overtime before narrowly falling 6-5, showing plenty of character and attacking flair. Until this run, their best World Championship finish was a quarterfinal appearance. The last time Norway advanced past the group stage was back in 2011, when they defeated France 5-2 before bowing out to Finland 4-1.