2026 IIHF World Championship

The world's premier ice hockey tournament, the IIHF World Championship, is returning to Switzerland in 2026. After a heartbreaking cancellation of their 2020 hosting duties, this championship marks a highly anticipated return to the Alpine nation. Get ready for electrifying puck drops and intense international rivalries across two stunning Swiss cities. Switzerland will host the 2026 IIHF World Championship, a long-awaited opportunity after their 2020 tournament was canceled due to the pandemic. The tournament will unfold in two magnificent arenas: the state-of-the-art Swiss Life Arena in Zurich and the modern BCF Arena in Fribourg. Eighteen top national teams, including reigning powerhouses and two newly promoted squads, will battle for the coveted gold medal.

Source: Wikipedia

AI Summary

The world's premier ice hockey tournament, the IIHF World Championship, is returning to Switzerland in 2026. After a heartbreaking cancellation of their 2020 hosting duties, this championship marks a highly anticipated return to the Alpine nation. Get ready for electrifying puck drops and intense international rivalries across two stunning Swiss cities.

The Return to Swiss Ice

From May 15th to 31st, 2026, the global ice hockey community will turn its eyes to Switzerland as it proudly hosts the IIHF World Championship. This prestigious event brings together the best national teams to compete for the world title—a spectacle of speed, skill, and sheer determination.

For Switzerland, this championship carries extra significance. They were originally slated to host the 2020 tournament, only for it to be tragically canceled due to the unforeseen global challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, six years later, their moment in the spotlight has finally arrived.

Securing the Host Nation Bid

The International Ice Hockey Federation—the IIHF—officially awarded Switzerland the hosting rights on May 27, 2022, during a congress in Tampere, Finland. This decision came smoothly, without the need for a vote, as Kazakhstan—the only other contender—withdrew its bid earlier in the process.

The Arenas: Where Champions Will Rise

The action will be split across two dynamic Swiss cities, each offering a world-class venue. Zurich, a bustling financial hub, will host games at the impressive Swiss Life Arena. This modern venue boasts a capacity of 12,000 passionate fans, promising an electric atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the historic city of Fribourg will welcome teams and spectators to the sleek BCF Arena. With seating for 9,009, this arena will provide an intimate yet intense setting for some of the tournament's most crucial matchups.

The Contending Nations

Eighteen of the world's top men's national ice hockey teams will converge in Switzerland, each vying for the gold medal. The field is composed of the host nation, the top fourteen teams from the previous year's championship, and two teams promoted from the lower divisions.

Automatic Qualifiers

As the host nation, Switzerland automatically secures its place in the tournament. This guarantees their loyal fans a chance to cheer on their home team, adding a unique energy to the competition.

Joining Switzerland are the fourteen nations who successfully maintained their position in the top division by finishing strong in the 2025 IIHF World Championship. These are the established powerhouses and strong contenders of international hockey.

Austria Canada Czechia Denmark Finland Germany Hungary Latvia Norway Slovakia Slovenia Sweden United States

Finally, two teams fought their way through the rigorous 2025 IIHF World Championship Division I, earning their hard-won promotion to the elite tier for 2026. Their journey promises to be one of the most compelling narratives of the tournament.

Great Britain Italy

Structuring the Competition

The tournament's preliminary round seeding is determined by the 2025 IIHF World Ranking, utilizing a 'serpentine system' to create balanced groups. Organizers also have the flexibility to strategically place up to two teams into separate groups, adding an intriguing element to the bracket.

Preliminary Round Groups

The 16 teams are divided into two groups, A and B, for the preliminary round. These groups were announced on June 4, 2025, with the full schedule revealed on August 19, 2025. Each team will play every other team in their group, battling for a coveted spot in the playoff round.

Group A Teams

Group A features the host nation, Switzerland, alongside several traditional hockey powerhouses and determined challengers. The top four teams from this group will advance to the quarterfinals, while the bottom team faces relegation.

Pos	Team	Qualification or relegation
1	United States	Quarterfinals
2	Switzerland (H)	
3	Finland	
4	Germany	
5	Latvia	Qualified for 2027 IIHF World Championship
6	Austria	
7	Hungary	
8	Great Britain	Relegated to 2027 Division I A
Group B Teams

Group B is equally stacked with formidable teams, all eager to prove their dominance on the international stage. Like Group A, the top four teams here will move on to the knockout stage, and the eighth-place team will be relegated.

Pos	Team	Qualification or relegation
1	Canada	Quarterfinals
2	Sweden	
3	Czechia	
4	Denmark	
5	Slovakia	Qualified for 2027 IIHF World Championship
6	Norway	
7	Slovenia	
8	Italy	Relegated to 2027 Division I A

The Road to Gold: Playoff Round

Following the intense preliminary rounds, the top four teams from each group will advance to the single-elimination playoff bracket. This is where every shot, every save, and every penalty becomes magnified, as teams battle through quarterfinals and semifinals in pursuit of the ultimate prize.

The quarterfinals are scheduled for May 28th, with the victorious teams moving on to the semifinals on May 30th. The tension will build to a crescendo on May 31st, as the bronze medal match and the grand final decide the 2026 IIHF World Champions, capping off an unforgettable tournament in Switzerland.

Article

2026 IIHF World Championship

The 2026 IIHF World Championship will be hosted by Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland from 15 to 31 May 2026, as the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on 27 May 2022 in Tampere, Finland.

Host nation bid

2026 IIHF World Championship

Switzerland was originally slated to host in 2020 but the tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, while Kazakhstan has not hosted any tournaments.

In the end, on 27 May 2022, IIHF Congress awarded Switzerland rights to host the competition. No votes were needed, due to Kazakhstan's bid withdrawal earlier.

Venues

2026 IIHF World Championship

<table><thead><tr><th>Zürich</th><th>ZürichFribourg</th><th>Fribourg</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Swiss Life Arena</td><td>BCF Arena</td></tr><tr><td>Capacity: 12,000</td><td>Capacity: 9,009</td></tr></tbody></table>

Participants

2026 IIHF World Championship

•   Switzerland

Automatic qualifier after a top 14 placement at the 2025 IIHF World Championship:

•  Austria •  Canada •  Czechia •  Denmark •  Finland •  Germany •  Hungary •  Latvia •  Norway •  Slovakia •  Slovenia •  Sweden •  United States

Qualified through winning a promotion at the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division I:

•  Great Britain •  Italy

Seeding

2026 IIHF World Championship

The seedings in the preliminary round was based on the 2025 IIHF World Ranking, at the end of the 2025 IIHF World Championship, using the serpentine system while allowing the organizers, "to allocate a maximum of two teams to separate groups".

Preliminary round

2026 IIHF World Championship

The groups were announced on 4 June 2025, with the schedule being revealed on 19 August 2025.

Group A

<table><thead><tr><th>Pos</th><th>Team</th><th>Pld</th><th>W</th><th>OTW</th><th>OTL</th><th>L</th><th>GF</th><th>GA</th><th>GD</th><th>Pts</th><th>Qualification or relegation</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td> United States</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Quarterfinals</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>  Switzerland (H)</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td> Finland</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td> Germany</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td> Latvia</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Qualified for the 2027 IIHF World Championship</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td> Austria</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td> Hungary</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td> Great Britain</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Relegated to the 2027 Division I A</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th>15 May 2026</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Finland </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Germany</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>United States </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td>  Switzerland</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>16 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Great Britain </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Austria</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Hungary </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Finland</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Switzerland </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Latvia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>17 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Great Britain </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> United States</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Austria </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Hungary</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Germany </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Latvia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>18 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Finland </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> United States</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Germany </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td>  Switzerland</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>19 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Latvia </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Austria</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Hungary </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Great Britain</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>20 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Austria </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td>  Switzerland</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>United States </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Germany</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>21 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Finland </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Latvia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Switzerland </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Great Britain</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>22 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Germany </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Hungary</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Finland </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Great Britain</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>23 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>United States </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Latvia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Switzerland </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Hungary</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Austria </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Germany</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>24 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Great Britain </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Latvia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Finland </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Austria</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>25 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>United States </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Hungary</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Germany </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Great Britain</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>26 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Hungary </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Latvia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>United States </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Austria</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Switzerland </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Finland</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Group B

<table><thead><tr><th>Pos</th><th>Team</th><th>Pld</th><th>W</th><th>OTW</th><th>OTL</th><th>L</th><th>GF</th><th>GA</th><th>GD</th><th>Pts</th><th>Qualification or relegation</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td> Canada</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Quarterfinals</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td> Sweden</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td> Czechia</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td> Denmark</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td> Slovakia</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Qualified for the 2027 IIHF World Championship</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td> Norway</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td> Slovenia</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td> Italy</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>Relegated to the 2027 Division I A</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th>15 May 2026</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Canada </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Sweden</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Czech Republic </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Denmark</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>16 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Slovakia </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Norway</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Italy </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Canada</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Slovenia </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Czech Republic</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>17 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Italy </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Slovakia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Denmark </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Sweden</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Norway </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Slovenia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>18 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Canada </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Denmark</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sweden </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Czech Republic</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>19 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Italy </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Norway</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Slovenia </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Slovakia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>20 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Czech Republic </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Italy</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sweden </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Slovenia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>21 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Canada </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Norway</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Denmark </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Slovakia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>22 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Canada </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Slovenia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sweden </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Italy</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>23 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Denmark </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Slovenia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Slovakia </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Czech Republic</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Norway </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Sweden</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>24 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Denmark </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Italy</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Slovakia </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Canada</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>25 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Czech Republic </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Norway</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Slovenia </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Italy</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>26 May 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Norway </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Denmark</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sweden </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Slovakia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Czech Republic </td><td></td><td>v</td><td></td><td> Canada</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Playoff round

2026 IIHF World Championship

<table><thead><tr><th> </th><th>Quarter-finals</th><th></th><th>Semi-finals</th><th></th><th>Final</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>28 May</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>1A</td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>30 May</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>4B</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>28 May</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td></td><td></td><td> </td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>1B</td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td></td><td>31 May</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>4A</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>28 May</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td></td><td> </td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>2A</td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>30 May</td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>3B</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>28 May</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td></td><td></td><td> </td><td></td><td></td><td>Third place</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>2B</td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td></td><td>31 May</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>3A</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td></td></tr><tr><td> </td></tr></tbody></table>