National team appearances in the Ice Hockey World Championships
This article lists the performances of each of the 62 national teams which have made at least one appearance in the Ice Hockey World Championships, an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), including the Olympic ice hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year, and was held before the first Ice Hockey World Championship as an individual event in 1930. With the exception between 1940 and 1946, when no championships were held during World War II, nor were held during the Olympic years 1980, 1984, and 1988. In 2020, the IIHF announced that all World Championship tournaments have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions-related issues.[1][2]
Sweden has appeared in 82 out of 87 tournaments to date, with Canada, having participated in 77, and Finland in 70. The United States has appeared in 75 top division tournaments and five in lower divisions. Although the U.S. went winless at the 1969 World Championship, finishing in last place in Group A (now Top Division) after losing all ten games. This marks the first time in men's worlds history, the United States was relegated to Group B (now Division I) until the 1970 World Championship, the U.S. bounced back and finished in first place in Group B (7th overall) after winning all seven games and was promoted back to Group A.
Czechia is the current World Champion, defeating Switzerland in the gold medal game at the 2024 IIHF World Championship. Since the IIHF introduced a playoff system in 1992, Switzerland has appeared in the World Championship final three times, but they lost every game, including twice to Sweden. The United States has never reached a World Championship gold medal game, having lost in the semi-final round twelve times since the IIHF introduced a playoff system in 1992; including six semi-finals appearances in ten tournaments from 2013 through 2023, and three consecutive in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Debut of teams
A total of 62 national teams have participated for at least one IIHF World Championship through the 2024 event, and two debuted in 2023. Each successive IIHF World Championships has had at least one team appearing for the first time, in alphabetical order per year. Teams in parentheses are considered successor teams by the IIHF.
Notes:
Between 1920 and 1968, the Olympic ice hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year.
Each of the national teams have made their debut that participate in the lower division of the World Championship.[a]
Key:
† – The Summer Olympic Games Ice Hockey Tournament held that year counted as the World Championship
* – The Winter Olympic Games Ice Hockey Tournament held that year counted as the World Championship
*Including participation in official qualifying competition for 1964 World Championships/Olympics.
**Including participation in Division III qualification 2013 Men's World Championships.
¶Not including participation in unofficial Group E 1997 Men's World Championships.
⸿Not including unofficial participation in Group D 1987 World Championships.
*Including participation in 3 official qualifying competitions for World Championships/Olympics 1956, 1960, 1964 where United Team of Germany played.
**Including participation in 2 official qualifying competitions for World Championships/Olympics 1960, 1964 where United Team of Germany played (1956 counted as usual as East Germany played in the Pool B at 1956 World Championships).
This section is a list of droughts associated with the participation of men's national ice hockey teams in the IIHF World Championships, including final appearance and world champion droughts up to and including the 2023 IIHF World Championship. Those teams which have not participated in any World Championship are listed by the year that they entered the IIHF tournaments.
Note:
Does not include droughts between 1940 and 1946, when no championships were held during World War II, nor were held during the Olympic years 1980, 1984, and 1988, and 2020 championships were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Does not include teams that have not made their first appearance. Does not include droughts when all lower division tournaments were cancelled for two years (2020–2021) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Only includes droughts begun after a team's first appearance and until the team ceased to exist. Updated to include participation for the 2024 World Championships.
There is no national team and Azerbaijan has not registered at least one player, nor entered in any IIHF tournaments due to lack of ice rinks and ice hockey activities in the country.
Participated in the now-defunct Pan American Tournament in 2017. Currently an IIHF affiliate member and therefore only to participate in the now-defunct IIHF Inline Hockey World Championship. Their last appearance was 2015. Due to the cancellation of the 2019 IIHF Inline Hockey World Championship, the IIHF can no longer govern inline hockey.[5]
Participated in the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia from 2008 to 2019 and the Asian Winter Games in 2007 and 2017. The national team has not been active since 2019.
Played two exhibition games against Bosnia & Herzegovina over the weekend. They won the first game 8–7 and lost the second game 7–6 in overtime a day later.[7] Participated in the IIHF Development Cup in 2018.
Participated in the GCC Gulf Championship in 2014 and 2016, the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia Division I in 2016 and the Asian Winter Games in 2017. The national team has not been active since 2017.
Represented the Uzbek SSR at the Winter Spartakiad from 1978 to 1986. Uzbekistan has not been active since the USSR being dissolved in 1991 and therefore has not played an official game against other national team so far.
*IIHF associate member
**IIHF affiliate member
Notes
^The modern format for the World Championship features a minimum of 40 teams: 16 teams in the main championship group (Top Division), 12 teams in Division I, and 12 teams in Division II. If there are more than 40 teams, the rest compete in Division III, and the newly created Division IV.[3]
^ abCzechoslovakia participated 52 times in the World Championship prior to being divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993. The IIHF considers the Czech Republic as the successor team of Czechoslovakia.
^ abcdefGermany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany since 1949, has been represented by the same governing body, Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (DEB), since 1909. After World War II, DEB was re-admitted to the IIHF as West Germany. East Germany fielded a team of its own before joining with West Germany and DEB in the German reunification. Thus, the IIHF considers Germany and West Germany as one entity and officially attributes all international results of the DEB team since 1909 to Germany, including the results of West Germany from 1951–1990.
^ abcdeThe Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1939) and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1951–1991) participated 31 times in the World Championship under the name "Yugoslavia" prior to its breakup by the secession of many of its constituent republics in 1992. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia participated 7 times from 1995–2002 under the name "FR Yugoslavia", then changed its name to "Serbia and Montenegro" in 2003. The FR Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro are considered the predecessors of the current Serbia team by the IIHF, which first participated under that name in 2007. These national teams which resulted from the breakup of the SFR Yugoslavia in 1992 (Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia), are considered distinct entities from the Yugoslavia team of 1939, 1951–1991.
^ abThe USSR participated 34 times in the World Championship prior to being dissolved in 1991. The 15 nations that were former Soviet Republics. 7 out of 15 former Soviet Republics now compete separately until Armenia (2004), Georgia (2013), Turkmenistan (2018) and Kyrgyzstan (2019). The IIHF considers Russia as the successor team of the USSR.
^Soviet Union won 22 gold medals, 7 silver medals and 5 bronze medals (34 medals in total).
^Russia, the official successor state of the Soviet Union, won 5 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 5 bronze medals (13 medals in total). Russia is currently banned from participating in international tournaments due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
^Czechoslovakia won 6 gold medals, 12 silver medals and 16 bronze medals (34 medals in total).
^Czechia (also known as the Czech Republic), the successor state of Czechoslovakia per the IIHF, won 7 gold medals, 1 silver medal and 6 bronze medals (14 medals in total).
^Germany won 2 silver medals and 2 bronze medals (4 medals in total).
^Armenia was suspended by the IIHF in April 2010 due to the use of ineligible players on their national team that participate in the 2010 World Championship Division III Group B. Thus, all their games were counted as forfeited 5–0 wins for the opposing teams and were not included in the final ranking of the tournament. The national team has not been active since 2010.
^Greece is currently not active in any IIHF tournaments because they cannot fulfilled their minimum participation standards of having one operational indoor rink. The national team has not been active until the 2024 IIHF Development Cup, a tournament for non-competing IIHF countries.
^Ireland is currently not active in any IIHF tournaments because with the closure of the Dundalk Ice Dome and they can no longer meet their minimum participation standards.
^ abParticipated as part of the USSR from 1954–1991.
^Canada withdrew from IIHF tournaments from 1970–1976, and was later suspended after a dispute over allowing professional players at the tournament. Canada returned to the IIHF tournament in 1977.
^The host Dutch government had suspended diplomatic relations with Yugoslavia due to the Kosovo War and did not allow the Yugoslavian team to participate in the 1999 tournament.
^Merk, Martin (24 June 2019). "Statutes, Regulations amended". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.