The hockey frenzy broke out. On Friday On May 15, the 89th World Championships started in the Swiss cities of Zurich and Fribourg. On the very first day, the Czech hockey players took to the ice to compete against the Danes. Our neighbors left for Switzerland already on Tuesday and showed off their new suits at the airport.
Striped jackets in a blue-purple design, white T-shirts and dark pants, however, aroused conflicting reactions among some fans. Many people on social media liken striped jackets to retro pajamas. You can find photos of Czech representatives in the photo gallery. You can also see what Slovaks flew to Switzerland in in the gallery. “Pajamas? We don’t have a designer who can design decent clothes?!” wrote the indignant Czech Martina.
“So these jackets didn’t work out,” Matej thinks. “You’d better buy normal suits somewhere in Prostějov, this is really bad,” advised Matyáš. “I like the pattern as such, but the overall finish feels cheap.” criticized Peter’s suits. “Guys, retro pyjamas, really a massacre, why? You’re like Jožo Ráž when he started in Elán,” laughs another fan.
However, many people like the hockey players’ new clothes. “I like them, it’s like David Pastrňák’s style,Marcela writes. “Guys, you look great, we believe you. Show that the game is great here in the Czech Republic and Moravia too,” Tomáš cheers. “I happen to like it in this combination too,” added Marie. “On the contrary, I really like the gentlemen,” commented Jana.
Basic information and Slovak matches at the 2026 World Cup
The teams will play seven games in each group of eight, with the top four advancing to the quarterfinals. The last teams in both groups will be eliminated and will be replaced next year by Kazakhstan and Ukraine, who advance from the A-group tournament of the I. division of the WC. Germany, as the organizer of the WC 2027, cannot be relegated.
The quarter-finals will be played in a classic crossover fashion – 1A-4B, 2A-3B, 1B-4A, 2B-3A. In the semi-finals, the highest seeded team after the group stage will play (according to the tables) against the lowest seeded semi-finalist and the second highest seeded team against the third. Both semi-final meetings will already take place in Zurich, as well as the final and the duel for bronze.
Overtime will be played in a 3-on-3 format, five minutes in the group stage, ten minutes in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the 3rd place match, with run-ins following if no goal is scored. The final will also be played 3 on 3, but overtime will last 20 minutes. If the winning goal is not scored, the game continues, with a 17-minute break between each overtime.
Composition of the basic groups of the WC 2026:
Group A (Swiss Life Arena/Zurich): USA, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Austria, Hungary, Great Britain
Group B (BCF Arena/Fribourg): Canada, Sweden, Czech Republic, Denmark, SLOVAKIA, Norway, Slovenia, Italy
- Saturday 16 May: 12.20 SLOVAKIA – Norway
- Sunday, May 17: 12.20 Italy – SLOVAKIA
- Tuesday 19 May: 20.20 Slovenia – SLOVAKIA
- Thursday 21 May: 20.20 Denmark – SLOVAKIA
- Saturday 23 May: 16.20 SLOVAKIA – Czech Republic
- Sunday, May 24: 8:20 p.m. SLOVAKIA – Canada
- Tuesday, May 26: 16.20 Sweden – SLOVAKIA
