The qualification tournaments have all been completed, and the 2020 IIHF Esports Fan Championship is about to enter the knockout phase starting with the round of 16.  

Each of the 16 nations qualified for the World Championship will be represented by one Xbox and one PS4 national champion. The first four games in the global knockout phase have been confirmed for next Friday, 29 May. 

The neighbourhood duel will be a David against Goliath clash between Kazakhstan and Russia. The reigning world champions Finland will enter the playoffs against Great Britain, while the Slovaks are up against Latvia. The game between Switzerland and Norway rounds off the first day of the main round. 

The following Saturday holds some top-class rivalry games. USA will meet Canada in the North American tilt. With Germany and Denmark, two other neighbouring countries will be competing against each other. And while many would expect a clear outcome in the last two matchups of the round of 16 between Sweden vs. Italy and Belarus vs. Czech Republic - on the virtual ice you can never count anybody out. 

The countdown is on!

Visit esports.iihf.com to find out more!