How to qualify in Para ice hockey
How teams qualify for the Para Ice Hockey World Championships
Checked 20 October 2026Valid for: the system in the World Para Ice Hockey Regulations 2020-2021 (the 2019-2022 four-year cycle), the newest regulations saved. Not covered: French Alps 2030 Paralympic qualification (not published); classification.
Para ice hockey's World Championships are split into three pools, A (top), B and C, played on a four-year calendar that leads to the Paralympic Winter Games:
| Year of the cycle | Events |
|---|---|
| 1 | World Championships A-Pool and B-Pool |
| 2 | World Championships C-Pool; regional championships (European, Pan Pacific) |
| 3 | World Championships A-Pool and B-Pool; Paralympic qualification tournament |
| 4 | Paralympic Winter Games; World Championships C-Pool |
Teams move between pools by results:
- A-Pool (8 teams): the top 6 from the last A-Pool and the top 2 from the last B-Pool.
- B-Pool (6 teams): the A-Pool's 7th and 8th, the B-Pool's 3rd to 5th and one team promoted from the C-Pool.
- C-Pool: the team relegated from the B-Pool, every country that did not play the B-Pool, and new teams.
So a country new to the sport, such as India, starts in the C-Pool, and needs to win it to reach the B-Pool.
From the World Championships to the Paralympics (2019-2022 cycle)
The Paralympic tournament has eight teams:
- the top five from the year-3 A-Pool;
- the host country, if not in the top five, provided it played the previous two A- or B-Pools;
- up to three from a Paralympic qualification tournament (the A-Pool's 6th to 8th and others).
Unused places go to the next team at the qualification tournament.
Regional championships
Held in any region with three or more countries playing regularly: the European championships (top 10 European teams from the previous year's A- and B-Pools) and the Pan Pacific championships (North America and Asia).
Eligibility
C-Pool entry is open to countries in good standing with the IPC whose teams meet the eligibility standards.