Olympic Hockey Odds & Favorites: Favorites Canada Ahead of USA, Sweden, Finland for Italy Games
If you loved the 4 Nations Face-Off (and how could you not), you will go gaga for February's 2026 Winter Olympics tournament in Milano Cortina, Italy.
The world's best from the top hockey nations will battle for international supremacy on the world's biggest stage, and Canada is the Olympic hockey odds favorite.
Team USA is hot on their heels, while Sweden and Finland are among the favorites ahead of the Winter Olympic Games beginning on Feb. 6. Here are the Olympic hockey odds, along with an AI prediction.
🏒 2026 Olympic hockey odds
| Team | Odds (FanDuel) | Implied probability | Profit ($10 bet) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | +150 | 40% | $15 |
| USA | +200 | 33.33% | $20 |
| Sweden | +550 | 15.38% | $55 |
| Finland | +750 | 11.76% | $75 |
| Czechia | +1400 | 6.25% | $140 |
| Switzerland | +5000 | 1.96% | $500 |
| Slovakia | +5000 | 1.96% | $500 |
| Germany | +5000 | 1.96% | $500 |
| Latvia | +14000 | 0.71% | $1,400 |
| Denmark | +14000 | 0.71% | $1,400 |
| France | +25000 | 0.40% | $2,500 |
| Italy | +25000 | 0.40% | $2,500 |
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🤖 2026 Olympic hockey AI prediction
🥇 Gold Medal: Canada 🇨🇦
Why?
- Elite core: Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Sidney Crosby represent a generational mix of speed, vision, leadership, and experience.
- Depth & versatility: Canada has an unmatched pool of NHL talent. Even their fourth line could contain All-Stars like Brayden Point or Mark Stone.
- Chemistry & redemption: After losing the 2022 Olympics without NHL participation, Canada is on a revenge tour, as seen in the 4 Nations Face-Off win over the USA. The synergy among McDavid, Marner, and MacKinnon was elite.
📅 2026 Winter Olympics hockey schedule
Here is the full hockey tournament schedule for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, which will run from Feb. 11 to Feb. 22.
| Round | Dates | Times |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary | Feb. 11 - Feb. 15 | 6:10am ET/10:40am ET/3:10pm ET/3:10pm ET |
| Men's qualification playoffs | Feb. 17 | 6:10am ET/6:10am ET/10:40am ET/3:10pm ET |
| Men's quarterfinals | Feb. 18 | 6:10am ET/8:10am ET/10:40am ET/3:10pm ET |
| Men’s semifinals | Fri. Feb. 20 | 10:40am ET/3:10pm ET |
| Men’s bronze | Sat. Feb. 21 | 2:40 p.m. ET |
| Men's gold medal game | Sun. Feb. 22. | 7:10 a.m. ET |
📝 How does the 2026 Winter Olympics hockey tournament work?
The format remains unchanged, mirroring proceedings from the previous three Olympics.
- Three groups of four teams start the tournament by playing each team in their group once
- That round-robin portion will determine the seedings
- The group winners and the highest ranked nation of the remaining teams receives a bye into the quarterfinals
- The round-robin portion is followed by four rounds of elimination games, with the bottom eight teams participating
- The four winners of the elimination games advance to the quarterfinals to play the four teams that previously received a bye
- The four quarterfinals winners advance into the semifinals
- The semifinals winner advance to the gold medal game, while the two losers meet in the bronze medal game
- The winner of the final receives the gold medal
📝 What are the 2026 Winter Olympics hockey groups?
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 🇫🇮 Finland | 🇺🇸 USA |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | 🇩🇪 Germany | 🇫🇷 France |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 🇸🇰 Slovakia |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 🇱🇻 Latvia |
📝 How does overtime at the 2026 Winter Olympics work?
(These rules apply to the men's and women's tournament)
Group stage (round robin):
- If a game is tied at the end of regulation in the group stage, the teams will play a five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period. It's sudden death, so the first team to score wins
- If no team scores at the end of the five minutes, a shootout will decide the winner
- Five players on each team will be selected to shoot
- If it's still tied at the end of those five rounds, any player can shoot as many times as they want in sudden death
- Sudden death in the shootout consists of one shot for each team. If the first team scores, the second team must score on their attempt. If they don't, the first team wins
- If the first team doesn't score and the second team does, the second team wins
Knockout stage (playoff games, quarterfinals, semifinals):
- If a game is tied at the end of regulation, the teams will play a 10-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period. It's sudden death, so the first team to score wins
- If the game is still tied after overtime, the teams will move to a shootout with the same rules as the group stage
Bronze and gold medal game
- If a game is tied at the end of regulation, the teams will play a 20-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period. It's sudden death, so the first team to score wins
- If the game is tied after the initial 20-minute overtime, the teams will keep playing until somebody scores
- There is no shootout
- Between each period, there will be a 15-minute intermission during which the ice is resurfaced
⛸️ Olympic hockey past winners
Here are the past 10 winners for the Winter Olympics hockey tournament dating back to 1988.
| Olympics | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
| Beijing 2022 | Finland | Athletes from Russia | Slovakia |
| Pyeongchang 2018 | Athletes from Russia | Germany | Canada |
| ***Sochi 2014 | Canada | Sweden | Finland |
| ***Vancouver 2010 | Canada | USA | Finland |
| ***Turin 2006 | Sweden | Finland | Czechia |
| ***Salt Lake City 2002 | Canada | United States | Athletes from Russia |
| ***Nagano 1998 | Czechia | Athletes from Russia | Finland |
| Lillehammer 1994 | Sweden | Canada | Finland |
| Albertville 1992 | Unified Team | Canada | Czechoslovakia |
| Calgary 1988 | Soviet Union | Finland | Sweden |
***best-on-best tournament
❓2026 Winter Olympics hockey FAQs
Who is favored to win the 2026 Winter Olympics?
With +150 odds, Canada is favored to win the 2026 Winter Olympics. Those odds imply a 40% probability, according to our odds calculator.
Who won the last Olympic hockey tournament?
Finland won the Beijing 2022 Olympic tournament. However, it wasn't a best-on-best tournament, with NHL players prohibited from participating.
When is the 2026 Winter Olympic hockey tournament?
The 2026 Winter Olympic hockey tournament takes place from Feb. 11 to Feb. 22.
When is the 2026 Winter Olympic hockey gold medal game?
The gold medal game occurs on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 7:10am ET.
Who won the last best-on-best Olympic hockey tournament?
Canada won the last best-on-best Olympic hockey tournament in 2014 at the Sochi Olympics.
How many players are on an Olympic hockey roster?
The maximum number of players on an Olympic men's hockey roster is 25, and the maximum number for an Olympic women's hockey roster is 23. However, each team can only dress 20 skaters and two goaltenders for each game.
🏒 NHL betting odds pages
Here are our futures pages breaking down the best NHL odds to help with your NHL picks.
| Stanley Cup Odds | Hart Trophy Odds | Calder Trophy Odds |
| Norris Trophy Odds | Vezina Trophy Odds | Rocket Richard Odds |
| Jack Adams Award Odds | Conn Smythe Trophy Odds | NHL Draft Odds |
🥅 Best Olympic hockey betting sites
Looking to bet on the 2026 Winter Olympics? Here are our best hockey betting sites as determined by our expert team at Sportsbook Review, along with our best sportsbook promos.
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
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