Ice Hockey World Championships

Publication date: 29 Aug 2022

About the Ice Hockey World Championships

The Ice Hockey World Championship is one of the most prestigious ice hockey competitions in the world. It takes place annually and has been organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 1920.

Originally, the tournament was only held as part of the Winter Olympics, but since 1930 it has been held annually and until 1991 it was known as the World and European Championships.

The world championships in women’s ice hockey have been held since 1990.

 Official website of the International Ice Hockey Federation

2025 Ice Hockey World Championships

Eighty-eighth Ice Hockey World Championship is set to take place in 2025 from May 9 to 25. Sweden and Denmark will serve as co-hosts of the tournament. Decision to organize the championship in these nations was made back in 2019.

Where will the matches be held?

The games will be held in two arenas:

Avicii Arena (Stockholm, Sweden) is the largest hockey rink in the tournament, with a capacity of 13,850 spectators.
Jyske Bank Boxen (Herning, Denmark) is an arena with a capacity of 12,000 people, which already hosted matches of the world championship in 2018.

Who will take part?

16 teams will play in the championship. Automatic spots were given to Sweden and Denmark as host countries, as well as Hungary and Slovenia, which advanced from the first division at the end of 2024. The remaining 12 teams gained the right to participate due to their successful performance at the previous World Championship.

The tournament format will remain traditional: two groups of eight teams, after which the best teams will advance to the playoffs, starting with the quarterfinals.

Who will not play in the tournament?

By the decision of the IIHF dated February 13, 2024, the national teams of Russia and Belarus were not allowed to participate, since the international federation considered their return unsafe.

The 2025 World Championship will be an important event for hockey fans, giving spectacular matches and new heroes of world hockey.

History of the Championship

The first World Championship took place in 1920 during the VII Olympic Games but the competition did not gain World Championship status until 1982.

Since 1976, not only professional but also amateur players have participated in the World Championships.

Sweden has staged the world championships 11 times.

Over the history of the championships, Canada and the USSR/Russia have each won 27 gold medals.

 Previous IIHF World Championships results

2026 Ice Hockey World Championships

It is already known that the 89th Ice Hockey World Championship will be held in the cities of Zurich and Fribourg (Switzerland) from May 15 to 31, 2026.

Keep an eye on the dates of the ice hockey championships and other events in our Sports Events Calendar.