Latvia routs Hungary 8-1 to reach world championship quarterfinals

Latvia buried Hungary 8-1 in Zurich and locked up a place in the world championship quarterfinals, with Rudolfs Balcers setting a Latvian single-tournament scoring record in the process.

The Latvians scored on their first three power plays and opened a 4-0 lead midway through the game, turning the Group A finale into a runaway long before the third period. Deniss Smirnovs and Eduards Tralmaks struck late in the first period to widen the gap, and Sandis Vilmanis added two goals as Latvia finished off the scoring in the third. Renars Krastenbergs also scored in the win, while Balcers reached seven goals for the tournament and moved past Arvids Petersons’ previous Latvian mark of six in one world championship.

The result lifted Latvia to 12 points and third place in Group A, sealing its quarterfinal spot regardless of the later United States-Austria outcome. The finish was enough to send Latvia into the knockout round for the sixth time in the last eight world championships, another sign of how consistently the program has turned itself into a contender on the sport’s biggest annual stage. Latvia also ended the preliminary round with 24 goals for and 17 against, a margin that reflected how efficiently it handled games it had to win.

For Hungary, the loss closed the door on advancement, but seventh place in Group A still meant survival. Hungary avoided relegation because of its earlier victory over Great Britain, preserving its place in the top division for another year. János Hári said returning in 2027 matters for hockey’s popularity in Hungary, underscoring how much the team’s presence at this level means beyond the standings.

The final Group A table left Switzerland first, Finland second, Latvia third and the United States fourth, with Germany, Austria, Hungary and Great Britain following behind. The 2026 championship is being played in Switzerland from May 15 to May 31, with the preliminary round split between Zurich’s Swiss Life Arena and Fribourg’s BCF Arena. Latvia, bronze medalists in 2023 after beating the United States 4-3 in overtime for the country’s first world championship medal, kept alive another run at hardware with one of its most complete performances of the tournament.