Who will USA play next in hockey? Explaining 2026 Olympic bracket opponent for medal games

Team USA is onto the medal stages and a date with destiny against their fiercest rival is looming.

After the Americans dispatched Slovakia in the semifinals, waiting for them on the other side of the bracket is Team Canada, setting the stage for a cross-border showdown that hockey fans have been dreaming of since the NHL's return to the Olympic stage was announced. While the Americans have looked like a well-oiled machine under head coach Mike Sullivan, the narrative surrounding the final has shifted toward the health and status of Canada’s iconic captain, Sidney Crosby.

The Golden Goal hero of 2010 has been the talk of the Olympic village after a lower-body injury forced him to watch Canada’s semifinal win over Finland from the stands. For the Americans, the potential return of Crosby adds a layer of legendary tension to a game already brimming with it.

Team USA is now exactly where they want to be with the win over Slovakia: one more victory away from their first gold medal since the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980.

Here's more on who Team USA will play.

MORE 2026 OLYMPICS: Live medal tracker | Viewer's guide | Day-by-day schedule

Olympic hockey bracket 2026

In the first semifinal, Canada dispatched Finland thanks to a last-minute Nathan MacKinnon goal. This sends the favorites to the gold medal game against the USA. 

Semifinals

• No. 2 USA 6, No. 3 Slovakia 2
• No. 1 Canada 3, No. 4 Finland 2

Bronze Medal Game

• No. 4 Finland vs. No. 3 Slovakia

Gold Medal Game

• No. 1 Canada vs. No. 2 USA

MORE: Day-by-day TV, streaming schedule for 2026 Winter Olympics

Who will USA play next in hockey?

Team USA is on to the gold medal game. After Canada’s dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Finland, the bracket has the rival waiting in the championship. 

With the United States taking care of business against a scrappy Slovakian squad, the hockey world gets the matchup it has been waiting for since the NHL announced its return to the Olympics. A USA victory would set up a Gold Medal Game against Canada on Sunday. This is a rematch of the iconic 2010 Vancouver final, but with a new generation of stars like Auston Matthews and Quinn Hughes looking to end a 46-year gold medal drought.

MORE: Updated Winter Olympics medal count

How does the Olympic hockey bracket work?

The 2026 Olympic men’s hockey tournament uses a tiered elimination format to determine the path to the podium. The journey begins with 12 nations split into three groups of four for a round-robin stage.

The three group winners and the best second-place finisher earned a direct bye to the quarterfinals. The remaining eight teams are ranked by their preliminary records and must compete in a high-stakes qualification playoff round, with the four winners moving on to fill the remaining quarterfinal slots.

In the final stages, the IIHF utilizes a reseeding process for the semifinals. The four surviving teams are ranked based on their original preliminary-round standing, ensuring the highest-ranked seed faces the lowest-ranked seed. 

MORE: How Canada punched ticket to gold medal game

Olympic men's hockey schedule 2026

Feb. 18: Men's Quarterfinals

Feb. 20: Men's Semifinals

Feb. 21: Men's Bronze Medal Game

Feb. 22: Men's Gold Medal Game