World Cup showdown: How Italy stays in

Six games, six losses – that's the grim record at the Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland. And yet, Italy holds its fate in its own hands this Monday evening. The objective is clear.

25 May 2026

From Fribourg

From:
Alexander Foppa

A win, three points are a must! That's the only formula that can calculate the Azzurri's survival in the top flight. Ahead of the final group match this Monday (SportNews (Live ticker from 8:20 pm) the Blue Team will face their league rivals Slovenia.

The two long-time rivals are the only two teams in Group B still in danger of relegation. They currently occupy the bottom of the standings. Slovenia has three points, while Italy has one after their unfortunate penalty shootout loss to Denmark. Therefore, Jukka Jalonen's team must win within 60 minutes to overtake Slovenia and knock them out of the top division. Otherwise, Italy will be relegated directly and miss out on next year's World Championship in Germany.

A clear declaration of war

The gravity of this relegation battle is clear to everyone in the Azzurri squad. "There's no point in beating around the bush. Win, and nothing else – that's the motto," declares captain Alex Trivellato, setting the tone. He adds seriously: "We've often played well here and barely gotten anything out of it. We're going into this last game with a real fire in our bellies. We'll fight, we'll bite until the very last second." What the outcome will be remains to be seen – one thing is certain: Italy is ready for this relegation showdown.