2026 Bronze Medal Game Preview: Sweden vs Switzerland
Sweden and Switzerland will compete for their first Olympic medals since 2014, when Switzerland defeated Sweden 4-3.
In a Bronze Medal game that very few predicted, the top team in Group B, Sweden, and the lowest-finisher in Group A, Switzerland, will faceoff for the first time in the 2026 Olympics.
In a rematch from the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, both teams will try to capture their first medals in decades. Entering the bronze medal game in 2026, Sweden has won two medals, a silver and a bronze, the most recent one coming in the 2006 Olympics in Italy. Switzerland claimed its only Olympic medal in the 2014 tournament, defeating Sweden 4-3.
Road to the Bronze Medal Game
Competing in Group B, Sweden had an unlikely journey to the bronze medal game. Sweden's in-group competitors—Italy, Japan, France, and Germany—proved easy competition. Sweden defeated Germany 4-1 and Italy 6-1, and shut out France 6-0 and Japan 4-0. This 4-0 record moved them to the top of Group B and left them as the only undefeated team other than the US.
This position in the standings not only brought them out of Group B and into the quarter-finals, but also gave them the best matchup of the Group B teams, facing Czechia. It would have been easy to fall to a strong Czech team, but a strong game from goaltender Ebba Svensson Träff, and goals from Hanna Olsson and Hilda Svensson pushed them past the fourth-place finishers from the 2022 Olympics.
The win set them up for a semi-final match between the only two undefeated teams, Sweden and the US. Sweden's gold medal dream came to an end after a 5-0 loss to the United States, leaving them with only the chance to fight for bronze.
Lydia Murray
For a team that finished in eighth in the last Olympics, a chance to play for bronze is a great consolation prize.
Switzerland entered the Olympics as the fifth-ranked team, setting them up for a tough battle in Group A with the US, Canada, Czechia, and Finland, but also providing them a guaranteed spot in the quarter-finals. They did not have an easy preliminary round, losing all but one game. Their only win came against Czechia in the opening game of the tournament, where Switzerland pulled out a shootout win with the help of two young stars: goaltender Saskia Maurer and forward Ivana Wey.
The remaining games in the preliminary round were a 4-0 loss to Canada, a 5-0 loss to the US, and a 3-1 loss to Finland. A norovirus scare also caused some tension for the team.
But it was a bounce-back quarter-final game against Finland that gave the Swiss some mojo back. Andrea Brändli posted a 40-save shutout, and a goal from Alina Müller gave the Swiss the chance to move on and face Canada in the semi-final.
Facing Canada in the semi-finals would be tricky for the Swiss, but they rose to the challenge. Another stellar game from Brändli, who made 44 saves, kept the game close until the Swiss were able to get on the board. But the comeback couldn't fully come to fruition, and Canada moved on with their smallest margin of victory ever in a semi-final game at the Olympics.
Maya Smith
Keys to Victory - Sweden
- Strong goaltending: In the preliminary round, Sweden only gave up two goals across four games. Then, in the quarter-finals, Svensson-Träff saved all 29 shots from the Czechs to post her second shutout of the Games. But when facing the top shooters from the US, Svensson-Träff surrendered four goals on 23 shots, while Söderberg gave up one goal on 11 shots in relief. When the Swedish goaltenders are locked in, good things happen. Both goaltenders have been strong this tournament, but Svensson-Träff seems to have earned the starts thus far, playing five games to Söderberg's three.
- Win the battles: Sweden outranks Switzerland in all of the team stats. They have 9.52% scoring efficiency compared to Switzerland's 7.37%. Their power play percentage is 26.32% compared to Switzerland's 9.09%, and their penalty kill percentage is substantially higher, at 90.9% compared to 70.59%. If Sweden can continue to win these battles and outplay the Swiss, they can find themselves in possession of the bronze medal.
- Ignore the past: While Sweden has had an incredibly strong tournament, they have had their success only against Group B. Against their only Group A opponent, the Swedes lost 5-0. If they spend time thinking about the wins in their own group, or the loss against the US, it will distract them from what's ahead—a potential third-place finish.
Players to watch: Ebba Svensson-Träff (94.39 save percentage, 1.30 goals-against-average), Hanna Olsson (3 goals, 4 assists).
Keys to Victory - Switzerland
- Strong goaltending: Yes, the same as Sweden, but I expect we'll be seeing a battle of the goaltenders in this game. Of the goaltenders in the medal rounds, Brändli has faced the most shots, despite only playing in three games. Her shutout in the quarter-final and strong play in the semi-final carried the Swiss to the medal round. The Swiss have only scored 6 goals this tournament, and left the preliminary round with a -10 goal differential. Brändli will have to be good to keep this one in reach for Switzerland.
- Keep it close: Similar to the first key, the Swiss have not had a lot of scoring success this tournament. They'll need to keep the game close to have a chance at winning. Although they were facing lower-ranked teams, Sweden left the preliminary round with a +16 goal differential. Switzerland has primarily relied on Alina Müller to score, while Sweden has four scorers in the top 20 in the tournament. If they only plan to score once or twice, they can't let Sweden get too far ahead.
- Keep disciplined: Aside from Canada, Sweden has the strongest power play percentage in the tournament. Switzerland's penalty kill is ranked second last in the tournament and has taken 18 penalties in six games. To give their goaltender the best chance and to keep the game close, Switzerland will have to stay out of the penalty box.
Players to watch: Andrea Brändli (94.85 save percentage, 2.35 goals-against-average), Alina Müller (3 goals, 2 assists)
The Bronze Medal game is at 14:40 local time/8:40 ET on Thursday, February 19.
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