Quater Finals
The 89th IIHF World Championship will take place in Zurich and Fribourg from 15 to 31 May. Two EVZ players will also be taking part. In this article, we’ll keep you up to date on what’s happening with the EVZ at the World Championship.
The World Championship preliminary round is over—and, as expected, both EVZ representatives have advanced to the quarterfinals.
Dominik Kubalík continues to be in scoring form at the World Championship in Switzerland. In the final preliminary round game against the favored Canadians, the EVZ winger scored the goal that gave his team a 2-0 lead after 29 minutes. It was already his fourth goal of the tournament. However, it wasn’t enough for the Czechs to secure the win; they ultimately fell 2-3, finishing third in Group B and facing off against the second-place team from Group A, Finland, in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
The Finns missed out on winning their group on Tuesday night. Much to the delight of the home crowd, the Swiss also won their seventh game, defeating Finland 4–2. Former EVZ junior Attilio Biasca scored the opening goal just seconds into the game. Leonardo Genoni ceded his spot in goal to Reto Berra. Thanks to their group victory, the Swiss will face the fourth-place team from Group B—none other than their nemesis, Sweden.
Quarterfinals featuring players from Zug:
Thu, 4:20 p.m.: Finland vs. Czech Republic
Thu, 8:20 p.m.: Switzerland vs. Sweden
Gameday 6 and 7
The man is still active, but he’s already a living hockey legend. After setting a World Championship record on Wednesday (his 13th shutout at a World Championship), Leonardo Genoni went one better on Saturday, keeping a clean sheet again in the 9-0 victory over Hungary and extending his record to 14 shutouts. Switzerland faces Finland tonight for first place in the group. Then they’ll know their World Championship quarterfinal opponent.
That opponent could very well be the Czech Republic. EVZ player Dominik Kubalík and his teammates lost 1-4 to Norway on Sunday and will finish Group B in second, third, or fourth place. Kubalík was not involved in the Czechs’ only goal. The Czechs’ final group match is tonight against Canada.
Gameday 4 and 5
May 20, 2026, is a special day for EVZ and national team goalie Leonardo Genoni. In Switzerland’s 9-0 victory over Austria, he keeps a clean sheet, celebrating his 13th shutout at a World Championship. That’s a World Championship record. Historic. EVZ also congratulates its exceptional goalie. As expected, Genoni ceded his spot in the Swiss net to his teammate Reto Berra in Thursday’s Game 5. The Swiss national hockey team put in a solid performance, winning 4–1 and securing their spot in the World Championship quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Dominik Kubalík continues to score freely. His Czech team is far superior to Italy, but still trails 0-1 after 40 minutes. The tide turns in the final period, with Kubalík contributing his share by scoring an empty-net goal to make it 3-1 in the final minute. It is his third World Championship goal in his fourth game. Kubalík and the Czech Republic also came out on top in Game 5, defeating Slovakia and securing their spot in the World Championship quarterfinals. For once, Kubalík failed to register a point.
Gameday 3
After a day off on Sunday, the World Championship tournament continues for the Swiss and the Czechs on Monday. And both Leonardo Genoni and Dominík Kubalik enjoy a sense of accomplishment. Genoni celebrates a 6-1 rout of Germany with Switzerland in front of an electrifying crowd. The EVZ goalie, in his 50th (!) World Championship game, didn’t concede a goal until just before the end; he has now played 120 World Championship minutes and allowed only two goals.
Dominik Kubalík also has reason to celebrate. After a frustrating loss to Slovenia, the Czechs are back on track. And how: They defeated Sweden 4-3, with Kubalík getting a chance on the power play and scoring the go-ahead goal to make it 2-0 in the first period.
Gameday 1 and 2
In Group B on Friday, Dominik Kubalík’s Czech team comfortably defeated Denmark 4–1. The highlight from an EVZ perspective? In the 9th minute, Kubalík slipped past the Danish defense and opened the scoring. In the end, the Czech Republic secured a 4-1 victory, with former Zug player Daniel Vozenilek also getting on the scoresheet.
In Group A, Switzerland kicked off the home World Championship in the best possible way. In their opening game against the USA, the Swiss took revenge on last year’s final opponent, the USA, and won 3-1. Once again, Switzerland’s rock-solid presence is Leonardo Genoni. The Zug goalkeeper—last year’s World Championship MVP—concedes only once and is the cornerstone of Switzerland’s success.
On Saturday, both the Czech Republic (in Fribourg) and Switzerland (in Zurich) will play the evening game again. Things aren’t going as planned for Dominik Kubalík; the Czechs suffer a surprise loss to Slovenia, and the EVZ player fails to score. Meanwhile, Switzerland wins again, with Sandro Aeschlimann in goal and Leonardo Genoni sitting out.
Overview: Genoni at WC
The Swiss match schedule (all games in Zurich):
Switzerland-USA 3:1 (2:0, 0:0, 1:1) – Genoni 60′ for Switzerland
Switzerland-Latvia 4:2 (0:0, 2:1, 2:1) – Genoni not playing
Switzerland-Germany 6:1 (0:0, 5:0, 1:1) – Genoni 60′ for Switzerland
Switzerland-Austria 9:0 (4:0, 3:0, 2:0) – Genoni 60′ for Switzerland
Switzerland-Great Britain 4:1 (1:0, 2:1, 1:0) – Genoni not playing
Switzerland-Hungary 9:0 (1:0, 6:0, 2:0) – Genoni 60′ for Switzerland
Switzerland-Finland 4:2 (2:0, 0:2, 2:0) – Genoni not playing
Overview: Kubalík at WC
The Czech Republic match schedule (all games in Fribourg):
Czech Republic-Denmark 4:1 (2:0, 0:0, 2:1) – Kubalík scores 1:0
Czech Republic-Slovenia 2:3. a.E. (0:1, 2:0, 0:1)
Czech Republic-Sweden 4:3 (3:2, 1:1, 0:0) – Kubalík scores 2:0
Czech Republic-Italy 3:1 (0:0, 0:1, 3:0) – Kubalík scores 3:0
Czech Republic-Slovakia 3:2 (1:0, 1:2, 1:0)
Czech Republic-Norway 1:4 (1:2, 0:0, 0:2)
Czech Republic-Canada 2:3 (0:0, 2:1, 0:2) – Kubalík scores 2:0
