A list of the top 30 most attended IIHF World Championships (out of 85 total). The 2015 tournament, in Prague and Ostrava (Czech Republic), holds the record for overall attendance and the record for average spectators per game. Not included are the Olympic tournaments, which though they are run as an IIHF tournament, have been separate from the World Championships since 1972.
Despite reluctance in some circles to have such a tournament in Olympic years, three of the five most attended World Championships overall have taken place on years that coincided with the holding of a best-on-best tournament, either the Olympics (2010 and 2014) or the World Cup of Hockey (2004).
It should be considered that because of a changing pool-size of teams through the years, the number of games contested at the IIHF World Championships can range from 32 in 1979 to 64 in 2012 and beyond, therefore "attendance per game" is an equally important statistic to measure the success of a given tournament. Ten tournaments have had averages over 9,000 spectators per game, and six have topped the 10,000 mark.
In an effort to broaden the sport's appeal, the number of top division teams was increased from a mere 8 (as late as 1991) to 16 (starting in 1998), leading to an influx of lesser teams that could negatively impact average attendance. To combat this, some organizers have aggressively pushed the sale of day passes that bundle popular games with less sought-after ones.
Finland hosted seven of the top 30 most attended tournaments. There are two countries with five of the top 30 most attended tournaments: Russia (including two tournaments held in the Soviet Union) and Sweden. Czech Republic hosted four of the top 30 most attended tournaments (including two tournaments held in Czechoslovakia), Germany – three, Latvia and Slovakia – two each. There are 6 other countries who have hosted the championships at least once, and are represented on the top 30.
Year | Host country | Total attendance | Number of games | Attendance per game | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Czech Republic | 741,690 | 64 | 11,589 | [1] |
2017 | Germany & France | 686,391 | 64 | 10,725 | |
2014 | Belarus | 640,044 | 64 | 10,001 | [2] |
2004 | Czech Republic | 552,097 | 56 | 9,859 | [3] |
2010 | Germany | 548,768 | 56 | 9,799 | [4] |
1997 | Finland | 526,172 | 52 | 10,119 | [3] |
2018 | Denmark | 520,481 | 64 | 8,133 | |
2008 | Canada | 477,040 | 54 | 8,834 | |
2019 | Slovakia | 470,853 | 64 | 7,357 | [5] |
2012 | Finland & Sweden | 451,054 | 64 | 7,048 | [6] |
2003 | Finland | 449,193 | 56 | 8,021 | [7] |
2023 | Finland & Latvia | 442,160 | 64 | 6,909 | |
2013 | Sweden † & Finland | 427,818 | 64 | 6,685 | |
2016 | Russia | 417,414 | 64 | 6,522 | |
1985 | Czechoslovakia † | 411,659 | 40 | 10,291 | [8] |
2001 | Germany | 407,547 | 56 | 7,277 | |
2011 | Slovakia | 406,804 | 56 | 7,264 | |
1989 | Sweden | 388,190 | 40 | 9,704 | |
2009 | Switzerland | 379,044 | 56 | 6,768 | |
1986 | Soviet Union † | 362,710 | 40 | 9,067 | |
2022 | Finland † | 356,955 | 64 | 5,577 | |
1979 | Soviet Union † | 354,500 | 32 | 11,078 | |
2007 | Russia | 330,708 | 56 | 5,905 | |
1995 | Sweden | 325,571 | 40 | 8,139 | |
2006 | Latvia | 324,794 | 56 | 5,799 | |
2005 | Austria | 323,974 | 56 | 5,785 | |
2000 | Russia | 318,449 | 56 | 5,686 | |
1991 | Finland | 310,627 | 40 | 7,765 | |
2002 | Sweden | 305,541 | 56 | 5,456 | |
1978 | Czechoslovakia | 248,920 | 40 | 6,223 |
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European Championships, the precursor to the World Championships, were first held in 1910. The tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics is recognized as the first Ice Hockey World Championship. From 1920 to 1968, the Olympic hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year.
The Canada men's national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada internationally. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. From 1920 until 1963, Canada's international representation was by senior amateur club teams. Canada's national men's team was founded in 1963 by Father David Bauer as a part of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, playing out of the University of British Columbia. The nickname "Team Canada" was first used for the 1972 Summit Series and has been frequently used to refer to both the Canadian national men's and women's teams ever since.
The Slovakia men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of Slovakia and is controlled by the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation. A successor to the Czechoslovakia national team, it is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world. The team's general manager is Miroslav Šatan and their head coach is Craig Ramsay.
The Russian men's national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Russia, overseen by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. As of 2021, they were rated third in the IIHF World Ranking. The team has competed internationally from 1992 until a 2022 ban, and is recognized by the IIHF as the successor to the Soviet Union team and CIS team. Russia has been one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six," the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. The European nations of the Big Six participate in the Euro Hockey Tour, which Russia won nine times since 2005. Since September 2021, the head coach is Alexei Zhamnov, who took over from Valeri Bragin.
The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, was the seventh Olympic Championship, also serving as the 19th World Championships and the 30th European Championships. The tournament was mainly played at the Jordal Amfi Arena, as well as the stadiums at Dælenenga, Kadettangen (Sandvika), Marienlyst (Drammen) and Lillestrøm (Lillestrøm). Canada, represented by the Edmonton Mercurys, won its sixth Olympic gold medal and 15th World Championship. Highest finishing European team Sweden won the bronze medal and its sixth European Championship.
Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games program in 1924, in France. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Vladimír Růžička is a Czech ice hockey coach and former professional player. Růžička was twice named the top player in the Czechoslovak Elite League, and was on the gold medal team in the Ice Hockey World Championship in 1985 and 1998 Olympic Games. He also played 233 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Since 2008, Růžička has been the head coach of both HC Slavia Praha and the Czech national ice hockey team.
Robert Reichel is a Czech former professional ice hockey centre and coach. He began his career with HC Litvínov of the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League; his 49 goals in 1989–90 was the second highest total in Czechoslovakian history. Reichel played 11 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons for the Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes and Toronto Maple Leafs. In 830 career NHL games, he scored 252 goals and 378 assists for 630 points. He also played with the Frankfurt Lions of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He ended his player career in 2010 in HC Litvínov, where he served as captain of the team.
The men's tournament in ice hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics was held in Turin, Italy, from 15 to 26 February. Twelve teams competed, with Sweden winning the gold medal, Finland winning silver, and the Czech Republic winning bronze. It was the third Olympic tournament to feature National Hockey League (NHL) players and the tenth best-on-best hockey tournament in history. United States defenseman Chris Chelios set a standard for longest time between his first Olympic ice hockey tournament and his last—he had competed twenty-two years earlier at the 1984 Olympics. The old record was set by Swiss hockey player Bibi Torriani. who had played twenty years after his debut.
The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), sometimes referred to as World Juniors, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is traditionally held in late December, ending in early January. The tournament usually attracts the top hockey players in this age category.
František Pospíšil is a Czech former ice hockey defenceman and coach. Internationally, he played for the Czechoslovakia men's national ice hockey team from 1967 to 1977, at the IIHF World Championships and the Winter Olympics. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999.
The 2010 IIHF World Championship was the 74th IIHF World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between 7 and 23 May 2010 in Germany. The games were played in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, SAP Arena in Mannheim, and one game at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen. The Russian team was the defending champion, having won the previous two championships.
The 1967 Ice Hockey World Championships was the 34th edition of the Ice Hockey World Championships. The tournament was held in Vienna, Austria from March 18 to March 29, 1967. The Soviet Union won the tournament for the fifth straight year, Sweden won the silver medal, and Canada claimed the bronze medal.
The 2014 IIHF World Championship was hosted by Belarus in its capital, Minsk, held from 9 to 25 May 2014. Sixteen national teams were competing in two venues, the Minsk-Arena and Chizhovka-Arena. It was the first time Belarus hosted the tournament. The selection of Belarus to host this competition was the subject of much debate, with some politicians in the European Union and North America calling for the IIHF to move the tournament to another country.
The 2012 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship was the fifth IIHF World Women's U18 Championships and was hosted in Zlín and Přerov, Czech Republic. It began on December 31, 2011 with the gold medal game played on January 7, 2012.
Ice hockey in Sweden has a history going back to at least 1912 and is one of the country's most popular sports. The sport was first organized in the country by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF), which was a member of the IIHF in 1912. The ice hockey department of the SvFF eventually split off to become the Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIHA) which today is still responsible for organizing Sweden's domestic leagues and its participation in tournaments internationally. The highest tier of men's ice hockey in Sweden, the SHL, brought in 1,974,388 spectators in the 2013–14 season, the highest overall attendance in Swedish sports. The SHL's average of 5,983 spectators per match is bested only by Allsvenskan, the country's top flight of association football.
The 2013 IIHF Women's World Championships was the 15th world championship sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and was the last world championship before the 2014 Winter Olympics. The tournament was hosted in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and was primarily played in small community arenas, including the Nepean Sportsplex, but most games were held in Scotiabank Place arena.
The ice hockey (hockey) competitions of the 2018 Winter Olympics were played at two venues within the Gangneung Coastal Cluster in Gangneung, South Korea. The Gangneung Hockey Centre, which seats 10,000, and the Kwandong Hockey Centre, which seats 6,000, were both originally scheduled to be completed in 2016 but appear to have been completed in early 2017. Both venues contain Olympic-sized rinks.
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.