2026 IIHF World U18 Championships

2026 IIHF U18 World Championship

Tournament details
Host country	Slovakia
City	Trenčín Bratislava
Venues	2 (in 2 host cities)
Dates	22 April – 2 May 2026
Teams	10
Official website
www.iihf.com
←  2025 2027  →

The 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship will be the 27th such event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams will participate at several levels of competition. ^[1] These tournaments also serve as qualifications for the 2027 competition.

Top Division

The Top Division tournament will be played in Trenčín and Bratislava, Slovakia, from 22 April to 2 May 2026. ^{[2] [3]}

Preliminary round

All times are local (Central European Summer Time; UTC+2).

Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Canada	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Quarterfinals
2	Slovakia (H)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Finland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Latvia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Norway	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation round

First match(es) will be played: 22 Apr 2026. Source: IIHF
(H) Host

22 April 2026 14:00

Norway

v

Finland

Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium, Trenčín

22 April 2026 18:00

Canada

v

Slovakia

Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium, Trenčín

23 April 2026 14:00

Canada

v

Latvia

Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium, Trenčín

23 April 2026 18:00

Slovakia

v

Norway

Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium, Trenčín

24 April 2026 18:00

Finland

v

Latvia

Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium, Trenčín

25 April 2026 14:00

Norway

v

Canada

Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium, Trenčín

25 April 2026 18:00

Slovakia

v

Finland

Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium, Trenčín

26 April 2026 18:00

Latvia

v

Norway

Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium, Trenčín

27 April 2026 14:00

Finland

v

Canada

Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium, Trenčín

27 April 2026 18:00

Latvia

v

Slovakia

Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium, Trenčín

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Sweden	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Quarterfinals
2	United States	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Germany	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Czech Republic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Denmark	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation round

Source: IIHF

22 April 2026 12:00

Germany

v

Sweden

Ice Hockey Arena Ružinov, Bratislava

22 April 2026 16:00

Czech Republic

v

United States

Ice Hockey Arena Ružinov, Bratislava

23 April 2026 12:00

Denmark

v

Germany

Ice Hockey Arena Ružinov, Bratislava

23 April 2026 16:00

Sweden

v

Czech Republic

Ice Hockey Arena Ružinov, Bratislava

24 April 2026 16:00

United States

v

Denmark

Ice Hockey Arena Ružinov, Bratislava

25 April 2026 12:00

Germany

v

Czech Republic

Ice Hockey Arena Ružinov, Bratislava

25 April 2026 16:00

Sweden

v

United States

Ice Hockey Arena Ružinov, Bratislava

26 April 2026 16:00

Czech Republic

v

Denmark

Ice Hockey Arena Ružinov, Bratislava

27 April 2026 12:00

Denmark

v

Sweden

Ice Hockey Arena Ružinov, Bratislava

27 April 2026 16:00

United States

v

Germany

Ice Hockey Arena Ružinov, Bratislava

Division I

Main article: 2026 IIHF World U18 Championship Division I

Group A

The Division I Group A tournament was played in Krynica-Zdrój, Poland from 18 to 24 April 2026. ^[4]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Switzerland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Promotion to the 2027 Top Division
2	Ukraine	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Kazakhstan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Slovenia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Hungary	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Poland (H)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation to the 2027 Division I B

First match(es) will be played: 18 April 2026. Source: IIHF
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

Group B

The Division I Group B tournament was played in Tallinn, Estonia from 25 April to 1 May 2026. ^[5]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Austria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Promotion to the 2027 Division I A
2	Lithuania	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	South Korea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	France	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Estonia (H)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Italy	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation to the 2027 Division II A

First match(es) will be played: 25 April 2026. Source: IIHF
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

Division II

Main article: 2026 IIHF World U18 Championship Division II

Group A

The Division II Group A tournament will be played in Târgu Secuiesc, Romania from 18 to 24 April 2026. ^[6]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Japan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Promotion to the 2027 Division I B
2	Great Britain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	China	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Croatia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Romania (H)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation to the 2027 Division II B

First match(es) will be played: 12 April 2026. Source: IIHF
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

Group B

The Division II Group B tournament will be played in Belgrade, Serbia from 5 to 11 April 2026. ^[7]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Netherlands	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Promotion to the 2027 Division II A
2	Australia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Chinese Taipei	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Belgium	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Serbia (H)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Mexico	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation to the 2027 Division III A

First match(es) will be played: 5 April 2026. Source: IIHF
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

Division III

Main article: 2026 IIHF World U18 Championship Division III

Group A

The Division III Group A tournament was played in Hong Kong, China from 2 to 8 March 2026. ^[8]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Bulgaria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Promotion to the 2027 Division II B
2	Turkey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Israel	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Hong Kong (H)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	New Zealand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Uzbekistan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation to the 2027 Division III B

First match(es) will be played: 2 March 2026. Source: IIHF
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

Group B

The Division III Group B tournament was played in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina from 13 to 19 February 2026. ^[9]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Iceland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Semifinals
2	Bosnia and Herzegovina (H)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation round

First match(es) will be played: 13 February 2026. Source: IIHF
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

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Thailand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Semifinals
2	Turkmenistan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Luxembourg	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation round

First match(es) will be played: 13 February 2026. Source: IIHF
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.

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Iceland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Champions / Promotion to 2027 Division III A
2	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Runners-up
3	South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Third place
4	Thailand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Fourth place
5	Turkmenistan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Avoided relegation
6	Luxembourg	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation

Source: IIHF

References

1. 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship divisions
2. "2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Top Division official website". www.iihf.com.
3. "2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Top Division tournament reports". stats.iihf.com.
4. 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division I A official website
5. 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division I B official website
6. 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division II A official website
7. 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division II B official website
8. 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division III A official website
9. 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division III B official website

External links

• Official website of IIHF