IIHF World Championship Division I
Upcoming season or competition: 2026 IIHF World Championship Division I | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1951 (Pool B) 2001 (Division I) |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Continent | Worldwide |
Most recent champions |  Kazakhstan (Group A)  Estonia (Group B) |
| Most titles |  Slovenia (Group A) (8 titles) |
| Promotion to | Top Division |
| Relegation to | Division II |
| Website | IIHF.com |
The IIHF World Championship Division I is an annual sports event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The divisional championship is played in two groups.
History
[edit]From 2001 until 2011 the two national teams that lost the relegation round at the IIHF World Championship were relegated to Division I for the following year's World Championships. At the Division I Championship, the winner of each group was promoted to the following year's IIHF World Championship, while the loser of each group was relegated to the Division II. Beginning in 2012, the last place team from each group in the world championship is relegated to Division I A, to be replaced by first and second place in Division I A. Sixth place in I A is relegated (now) to group I B, replaced by its winner, while sixth in I B is relegated to Division II.
The Division I World Championship was formed in 2001 from Pool B and the top four Pool C teams. Beginning in 2012 the two groups became tiered rather than parallel. Group A teams were the nations who either were relegated from the World Championship, or placed 2nd and 3rd in their 2011 groups. Group B was formed from the 4th and 5th placed teams, as well as the teams promoted from Division II. Japan qualified for group A because the IIHF council voted unanimously to allow Japan to maintain their seeded position (3rd) in their respective tournaments for 2012.[1]
IIHF Annual Congress in Zurich for the 2026-2027 season, the International Ice Hockey Federation is implementing a major structural overhaul for the 2027-2028 season in the lower divisions. The most significant change is the merger of Division I/A and Division I/B. Division I will now function as a single, unified tier. The tournament will be organized into four groups (A, B, C, and D), hosted across two cities.
Results
[edit]
Pool B
[edit]
Champions (1951–2000)
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Summary of participation
[edit]60 championships
- Division I teams (2001–present) are ranked one through twelve, with this chart assessing gold, silver, and bronze to the nations who ranked 17th, 18th, and 19th overall.
- ^Note 1. The Federal Republic of Germany competed as West Germany from 1953 until 1990.
- ^Note 2. Czechoslovakia, Sweden, and Finland each hosted this level on one occasion each.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ IIHF (29 March 2011). "Japan withdraws from events". IIHF.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ↑ Steiss, Adam. "2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship cancelled". iihf.com. IIHF. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- Duplacey, James (1998). Total Hockey: The official encyclopedia of the National Hockey League. Total Sports. pp. 498–528. ISBN 0-8362-7114-9.
- Podnieks, Andrew (2010). IIHF Media Guide & Record Book 2011. Moydart Press.
