Germany vs Hungary 22 May 2026 Prediction

There are still three teams at the World Championship without a single point. Germany were recently part of that group, but they moved off the bottom after their latest result. Still, their position remains difficult, so they cannot afford to drop points as the favorite. Hungary have moved away from the relegation zone, but it is too early to relax. Can the Bundesteam avoid another setback and claim their first win of the World Championship?

Germany Have Lost Confidence

Based on recent results, Germany’s playoff chances are limited. The team that viewers are used to seeing as competitive and difficult to beat has looked vulnerable. Harold Kreis’ side lost its first three games at the World Championship by a combined score of 2:11. Defeats to Finland (1:3) and Switzerland (1:6) are understandable, but the loss to Latvia (0:2) raises more concerns. Germany are clearly affected by the absence of national-team leaders Leon Draisaitl and Tim Stutzle. Still, the team did get some encouragement from the game against the USA, where it lost only after a shootout, 3:4.

Germany Predicted Lineup: Stettmer (Franzreb) – Wagner, Seider – Daw-MacFalls, Michaelis, Fischbuch

Full Roster: defensemen – Mikk, Wissmann, Gawanke, Huttl, Sinn; forwards – Reichel, Samanski, Tiffels, Loibl, Kahun, Ehl, Kremmer, Eder, Tuomie, Kastner

Manager: Harold Kreis

Hungary Are Close to Their Main Goal

Hungary’s main objective is clear: staying in the elite division. By beating Great Britain 5:0, the Magyars moved much closer to achieving that. Hungarian fans should be fairly satisfied with their team’s results so far. In games against Finland (1:4) and Austria (2:4), Gergely Majoross’ players kept their shooting percentage above 10%, and against Great Britain it reached 20%. Hungary have also been solid in the first period: at this World Championship, the Magyars have not lost the opening frame once. However, closing games remains a problem. Across their previous three matches, Majoross’ team conceded four goals in the final period.

Hungary Predicted Lineup: Balizs (Vay) — Stipsicz, M. Horvath — B. Horvath, Sebok, Terbocs

Full Roster: defensemen — Hadobas, Ortenszky, Kiss, Garat, Tornyai; forwards — Erdei, Sengo, Gallo, Papp, Hari, Sofron, Vince, Nagy, Sarpatki

Manager: Gergely Majoross

Germany Have Already Beaten Hungary Heavily

At the last World Championship, Germany had no major problems against Hungary, winning 6:1. The Germans were consistent throughout the game and scored twice in each period. Interestingly, every goal in that matchup came at even strength. Dominik Kahun stood out with two goals.

Germany vs Hungary Prediction: Hungary Handicap (+2.5) at 2.34

Main Pick: Germany have looked weak at this World Championship and could not even find a way through Latvia’s defense. Their own defensive outlook is not especially convincing either: Philipp Grubauer is averaging a 90.6% save percentage. Hungary have lost by more than two goals only once at this tournament. It is also worth noting that the Magyars have had two days of rest and should have a good chance to recover before facing Germany. This should not be an easy game for the Bundesteam, so we are taking Hungary handicap (+2.5) at 2.34. The projected correct score is 4:2.

Total Pick: Over 5 goals were scored in 5 of Germany’s last 7 games and in 6 of Hungary’s previous 11 matches. At least six goals were also recorded in the last three head-to-head meetings. Germany should take the initiative and focus on attack, while Hungary are capable of punishing mistakes. The numbers point toward over 5.5 goals at 1.74.

Penalty Minutes Pick: Both teams have had discipline issues during the World Championship. In Germany’s second-most recent game, the officials called 11 penalties. In Hungary’s previous matchup, players were sent to the penalty box eight times. Our pick is over 14.5 penalty minutes at 2.00.