Upcoming season or competition: 2024 IIHF World Championship Division II | |
Sport | Ice hockey |
---|---|
Founded | 1961 (Pool C) 2001 (Division II) |
No. of teams | 12 |
Most recent champion(s) | Croatia (Group A) Belgium (Group B) |
Most titles | Romania (8) |
Promotion to | Division I |
Relegation to | Division III |
Official website | IIHF.com |
The IIHF World Championship Division II are an annual sports event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The division championships are played in two groups, part of the Ice Hockey World Championships
From 2001 until 2011, the two national teams that finished last in their groups in Division I were relegated to Division II for next year's World Championships. At the Division II Championship, the winner of each group was promoted to next year's Division I. In contrast, the loser of each group was relegated to the IIHF World Championship Division III. Beginning in 2012, the Group A champion was promoted to Division I Group B, and was replaced by that tournament's last placed team. The Group B champion was promoted to Group A, and was replaced by the team relegated from there. Last place in Group B is relegated to Division III, being replaced by their champion.
The Division II World championships have been played in their current format since 2001. Division II was formed from the teams ranked 29th to 40th, which were the five lowest-placing teams in Pool C, and the seven best teams from Pool D. Beginning in 2012, the two groups became tiered rather than parallel. Teams qualified for Group A by either being relegated from Division I, or placing 2nd or 3rd in their 2011 groups. Group B teams were formed from the teams placing 4th, 5th, or promoted from Division III.
Year | Promoted | Relegated | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
To Division I B | To Division II A | To Division II B | To Division III | |
2012 | Estonia | Belgium | New Zealand | South Africa |
2013 | Croatia | Israel | Spain | Bulgaria |
2014 | Estonia | Spain | Israel | Turkey |
2015 | Romania | China | Australia | South Africa |
2016 | Netherlands | Australia | China | Bulgaria |
2017 | Romania | China | Spain | Turkey |
2018 | Netherlands | Spain | Iceland | Luxembourg |
2019 | Serbia | Israel | Belgium | North Korea |
2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] | |||
2021 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | |||
2022 | China, Netherlands | Georgia, Iceland | ||
2023 | Spain | United Arab Emirates | Mexico | |
2024 | Croatia | Belgium | Iceland | Turkey |
Following the year 2000, Pool C became Division II and was split into two sections as a result of an influx of competing teams.
Year | National team |
---|---|
1961 | Romania |
1963 | Austria |
1966 | Italy |
1967 | Japan |
1969 | Japan |
1970 | Austria |
1971 | Romania |
1972 | Austria |
1973 | Norway |
1974 | Switzerland |
1975 | Norway |
1976 | Austria |
1977 | Italy |
1978 | Netherlands |
1979 | Yugoslavia |
1981 | Austria |
1982 | Japan |
1983 | Netherlands |
1985 | France |
1986 | Norway |
1987 | Japan |
1989 | Netherlands |
1990 | Yugoslavia |
1991 | Denmark |
1992 | Great Britain |
1993 | Latvia |
1994 | Slovakia |
1995 | Belarus |
1996 | Kazakhstan |
1997 | Ukraine |
1998 | Hungary |
1999 | Netherlands |
2000 | Hungary |
51 championships
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This article lists the performances of each of the 70 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.