World Championship 2026/27

The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is the premier annual international men's tournament, organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. It is recognized as the highest-level annual competition, sitting below the Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament in prestige but above all other IIHF-sanctioned events. The first standalone championship was held in 1930, though earlier titles were awarded at the Summer Olympics before 1920.

The Top Division currently features 16 teams divided into two groups of eight. Teams play a round-robin format within their groups. The top four teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals, followed by semi-finals and medal games. The bottom two teams in each group are relegated to Division I Group A, while the top two from that tier are promoted to the Top Division.

A key distinction between this championship and the Olympic tournament lies in player eligibility and timing. The World Championship is held in May, during the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, meaning many top NHL players are unavailable. The Olympics are held in February, and the NHL suspends its season to allow its players to participate. Consequently, the Olympic tournament typically features stronger rosters and is considered the highest honour in the sport, whereas the World Championship is the premier annual event.

Canada is the most successful nation with 28 gold medals, including those won at the Olympics when they counted as World Championships. Russia, including the Soviet Union era, has 27, Sweden has 16, and Czechia, including Czechoslovakia, has 8. The current champion is the United States, who won the 2025 title by defeating Switzerland in overtime. The Soviet Union holds the record for most consecutive titles, winning eight from 1963 to 1970.

The tournament became an annual standalone event in 1930 but was not held in Olympic years because the Olympic tournament served as the World Championship for those years. Since 1990, it has been held annually regardless of the Olympic cycle. The IIHF was founded in 1908 as the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace and is the global governing body for the sport.