On day five of the 2026 World Junior Championship, Tuesday, Dec. 30, there were just two games on the schedule. The first was between Switzerland and Germany; both teams looked to get their first win of the tournament and stay out of the relegation round. Germany was coming off a rough 8-1 loss to Sweden on Monday, Dec. 29, and Switzerland was also coming off a 4-2 loss to Sweden on Sunday, Dec. 28.
Related: Guide to the 2026 World Junior Championship
Lennart Neiße was in the net for Germany, while Christian Kirsch was in the net for Switzerland. The game started out back and forth with chances for both sides, but Switzerland jumped to an early lead in the first period and built on it as the game went on. Switzerland held onto the lead and took the 4-0 win.
Game Recap
Switzerland got on the scoreboard first with a goal from Kimi Koerbler. Gian Meier and Niklas Blessing assisted him. A couple of minutes later, Jamiro Reber scored on the power play that gave Switzerland a 2-0 lead. Leon Muggli and Lars Steiner assisted him. That was the final goal of the first period, and Switzerland took the lead into the second.
Switzerland got on the board first in the second period as Koerbler scored his second goal of the game. He was unassisted. A few minutes later, Ludvig Johnson scored, which made it 4-0 in favor of Switzerland. Basile Sansonnens and Paul Mottard assisted him. That was the final goal of the period, and Switzerland took the lead into the final period.
There were close calls for both sides, but neither team scored in the final period. Switzerland’s lead held, and they went on to win 4-0.
Switzerland has one more preliminary game against Slovakia on New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, Dec. 31, before they find out their fate. This was Germany’s final game of the preliminary round, and with the loss, they have zero wins, so they will be in the relegation round to await the team from the other group.
