Ice Hockey World Championships

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

2026 Ice Hockey World Championships

Where Were the Games Played?

The 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship was held in Switzerland, in the cities of Zurich and Fribourg, from 15 to 31 May 2026.

The games were played at two modern arenas:

Swiss Life Arena in Zurich, with a capacity of approximately 12,000 spectators;
BCF Arena in Fribourg, with a capacity of around 9,000 spectators.

A total of 64 games were played during the tournament.

Who Took Part?

The championship featured 16 national teams, divided into two groups of eight teams each.

Group A (Zurich):

Switzerland
United States
Finland
Germany
Latvia
Austria
Hungary
Great Britain

Group B (Fribourg):

Canada
Sweden
Czechia
Slovakia
Denmark
Norway
Slovenia
Italy

The national teams of Russia and Belarus did not participate in the tournament due to their ongoing suspension from IIHF competitions.

The 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship once again confirmed its status as one of the world's premier international hockey tournaments, bringing together the best players on the planet and thousands of fans from around the globe.

History of the Championship

The first Ice Hockey World Championship took place in 1920 as part of the Olympic Games in Antwerp. Since 1930, the tournament has been held as a standalone world championship.

Until 1976, only amateur players were eligible to compete at the World Championship. Beginning in 1976, professional players were also allowed to participate.

Sweden has hosted the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship eleven times, making it one of the most frequent host nations in the tournament's history.

Canada is the most successful team in the history of the competition, having won 28 gold medals. The Soviet Union/Russia has won 27 world titles.

Results of the Most Recent Championships

Year	Host Country	Medalists
2026	Switzerland	1 – Finland, 2 – Switzerland, 3 – Sweden
2025	Sweden, Denmark	1 – United States, 2 – Switzerland, 3 – Sweden
2024	Czechia	1 – Czechia, 2 – Switzerland, 3 – Sweden