How to qualify in Ice hockey
How teams qualify for the Ice Hockey World Championship
The Ice Hockey World Championship is not one tournament but a ladder of divisions, played every spring. Each year a team's results decide which division it plays in the next year.
| Level | Teams |
|---|---|
| Top Division (the "World Championship") | 16, in two groups of 8 |
| Division I, groups A and B | 6 each |
| Division II, groups A and B | 6 each |
| Division III, groups A and B | |
| Division IV |
At the top, the last team in each group of eight is relegated to Division I A, and the top teams of Division I A come up. Lower down, divisions swap teams the same way, one or two up and down.
So no team "qualifies" in a single season from nothing: a country climbs one division at a time.
The Top Division
From the IIHF Sport Regulations: 16 teams in two groups of eight, seeded by the IIHF World Ranking; a round robin of 28 games in each group; the top four in each group play the quarter-finals; semi-finals and medal games follow. The bottom team in each group after the round robin is relegated.
The 2026 Top Division was held in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland, 15 to 31 May 2026. Great Britain and Italy were relegated to Division I A for 2027.
Seeding the next year
Teams keep their final positions as seeding numbers for the next championship. A relegated team becomes the top seed of the lower division; a promoted team the bottom seed of the higher one.
2026 notes
- Two lower divisions trialled a new format: two groups, a knockout stage with the final's winner promoted, and a two-game series between the last-placed teams to decide relegation.
- Division II A (Al Ain, United Arab Emirates) was postponed and then cancelled, so promotion and relegation for that division were frozen for 2026.
India
India is an IIHF member but its men's team has not played in the World Championship divisions in the sources saved; its route would begin at the lowest division, Division IV. To confirm with the Ice Hockey Association of India.