2026 IIHF World Championship Division I
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries | Poland China |
| Venues | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Dates | 2–8 May 29 April – 5 May |
| Teams | 12 |
The 2026 IIHF World Championship Division I consists of two international ice hockey tournaments organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Divisions I A and I B represent the second and the third tier of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships.[1]
Group A tournament
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Poland |
| City | Sosnowiec |
| Venue | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Dates | 2–8 May |
| Teams | 6 |
| Official website | |
| Website | |
The Division I Group A tournament will be played in Sosnowiec, Poland from 2 to 8 May 2026.
Participants
| Team | Qualification |
|---|---|
| Kazakhstan | Placed 15th in the Elite Division in 2025 and was relegated. |
| France | Placed 16th in the Elite Division in 2025 and was relegated. |
| Ukraine | Placed 3rd in Division I A in 2025. |
| Japan | Placed 4th in Division I A in 2025. |
| Poland | Host, placed 5th in Division I A in 2025. |
| Lithuania | Placed 1st in Division I B in 2025 and was promoted. |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Promoted to the 2027 Top Division |
| 2 | France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Ukraine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Poland (H) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Lithuania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegated to the 2027 Division I B |
First match(es) will be played: 2 May 2026. Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host
Results
All times are local (UTC+2).[2]
| 2 May 2026 12:30 | Japan | v | France | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 2 May 2026 16:00 | Lithuania | v | Kazakhstan | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 2 May 2026 19:30 | Poland | v | Ukraine | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 3 May 2026 12:30 | Kazakhstan | v | Japan | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 3 May 2026 16:00 | Ukraine | v | Lithuania | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 3 May 2026 19:30 | France | v | Poland | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 5 May 2026 12:30 | Lithuania | v | Japan | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 5 May 2026 16:00 | France | v | Ukraine | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 5 May 2026 19:30 | Kazakhstan | v | Poland | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 7 May 2026 12:30 | France | v | Lithuania | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 7 May 2026 16:00 | Ukraine | v | Kazakhstan | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 7 May 2026 19:30 | Japan | v | Poland | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 8 May 2026 12:30 | Kazakhstan | v | France | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 8 May 2026 16:00 | Ukraine | v | Japan | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
| 8 May 2026 19:30 | Poland | v | Lithuania | Sosnowiec Arena, Sosnowiec |
Group B tournament
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | China |
| City | Shenzhen |
| Venue | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Dates | 29 April – 5 May |
| Teams | 6 |
| Official website | |
| Website | |
The Division I Group B tournament will be played in Shenzhen, China from 29 April to 5 May 2026.
Participants
| Team | Qualification |
|---|---|
| Romania | Placed 6th in Division I A in 2025 and was relegated. |
| South Korea | Placed 2nd in Division I B in 2025. |
| Estonia | Placed 3rd in Division I B in 2025. |
| China | Host, placed 4th in Division I B in 2025. |
| Spain | Placed 5th in Division I B in 2025. |
| Netherlands | Placed 1st in Division II A in 2025 and was promoted. |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Promoted to the 2027 Division I A |
| 2 | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Estonia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | China (H) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Spain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegated to the 2027 Division II A |
First match(es) will be played: 29 April 2026. Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host
Results
All times are local (UTC+8).[3]
| 29 April 2026 12:30 | Spain | v | Estonia | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 29 April 2026 16:00 | Netherlands | v | Romania | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 29 April 2026 19:30 | China | v | South Korea | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 30 April 2026 12:30 | Estonia | v | Netherlands | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 30 April 2026 16:00 | South Korea | v | Spain | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 30 April 2026 19:30 | Romania | v | China | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 2 May 2026 12:30 | Romania | v | Spain | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 2 May 2026 16:00 | South Korea | v | Estonia | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 2 May 2026 19:30 | Netherlands | v | China | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 3 May 2026 12:30 | Estonia | v | Romania | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 3 May 2026 16:00 | South Korea | v | Netherlands | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 3 May 2026 19:30 | China | v | Spain | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 5 May 2026 12:30 | Romania | v | South Korea | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 5 May 2026 16:00 | Spain | v | Netherlands | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
| 5 May 2026 19:30 | Estonia | v | China | Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre, Shenzhen |
References
- ^ "A report from the IIHF Congress". IIHF. 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ^ "2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I, Group A game schedule & ticket prices". IIHF. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ "2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I, Group B Game Schedule Announced". IIHF. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.