The quarterfinal matches of the World Junior Championship took place in the USA.
In the quarterfinal matches of the 2026 World Junior Championship, Sweden, as we previously reported, defeated Latvia (6:3), later the Czech Republic dealt with Switzerland (6:2), the USA lost to Finland (3:4), and Canada crushed Slovakia (7:1).
In the semifinals, the Swedes will play against the Finns, while the Canadians will face the Czechs.
Thus, the Americans once again failed to win the home tournament – for the 7th time in the history of the tournament. Previously, the USA hosted official World Junior Championships in 1982 (some games were held in Canada), 1989, 1996, 2005, 2011, and 2018.
For the Americans, the exit at this stage of the World Junior Championship was the first since 2022, when the team lost to the Czech Republic (2:4).
In 2023, the USA team finished third, and in 2024 and 2025, they won gold medals.
