IIHF World Championship IB, on Saturday,
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As the IIHF World Championship IB approaches, the matchup between the Netherlands and China on May 2, 2026, promises to be a compelling contest. The game, held on home turf for the Netherlands, offers them a crucial opportunity to turn around their recent form, having lost both of their last two matches. Their struggles may stem from a lack of cohesion in attack and vulnerabilities in defense, which they will need to address promptly to regain confidence.
China, on the other hand, comes into the game with slightly better momentum, having secured a victory in one of their last two encounters. They will likely aim to exploit any defensive lapses from the Dutch, capitalizing on quick counter-attacks, which have been a hallmark of their play style.
Bookmakers currently favor China with odds of 1.53 for an away victory, while the Netherlands stands at 4.33 for a home win. This discrepancy reflects the recent trends, with the expectation that China’s tactical discipline and recent success could give them the edge. However, playing at home could inspire a resurgence for the Netherlands. As both teams vie for crucial points in this championship, the outcome remains uncertain, setting the stage for an intriguing encounter.
This preview is generated with the Welcome.Bet AI Insights Engine, combining form data, betting odds, and semantic SEO optimization to deliver relevant match analysis for fans and bettors alike from 2026-05-01T05:52:04+00:00.
| Netherlands 20.6% |
Draw 19% |
China 60.4% |
Prediction (the most likely score): 2:5
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Betting Odds
| 1 | X | 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
4.53 | 5.1 | 1.49 | |
 |
4.33 | 4.5 | 1.53 |
Latest Results
| 30.04.26 Estonia hockey – Netherlands hockey – 5:1 29.04.26 Netherlands hockey – Romania hockey – 0:7 08.11.25 Netherlands hockey – Estonia hockey – 0:6 07.11.25 Spain hockey – Netherlands hockey – 4:2 05.05.25 Netherlands hockey – Serbia hockey – 3:1 |
30.04.26 Romania hockey – China hockey – 3:4 OT 29.04.26 China hockey – South Korea hockey – 4:7 23.11.25 China hockey – South Korea hockey – 0:3 22.11.25 Kazakhstan hockey – China hockey – 5:1 20.11.25 Japan hockey – China hockey – 4:1 |
Facts
Latest Head To Head
| 27.04.24 Netherlands hockey – China hockey – 0:3 26.04.23 Netherlands hockey – China hockey – 7:2 27.04.22 China hockey – Netherlands hockey – 5:1 23.04.18 Netherlands hockey – China hockey – 7:0 14.04.16 China hockey – Netherlands hockey – 0:9 |
Standings
2025
| Pl | W | WO | LO | L | Pts | |||
| 1 | Lithuania | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14:3 | 14 |
| 2 | South Korea | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21:11 | 12 |
| 3 | Estonia | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19:9 | 9 |
| 4 | China | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9:14 | 5 |
| 5 | Spain | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9:25 | 3 |
| 6 | Croatia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9:19 | 2 |
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