IIHF World Ranking

Last updated

Top 20 rankings as of May 2024 [1]
Men's
RankChange*TeamPoints
1Steady2.svgFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 4100
2Increase2.svg 1Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 4065
3Decrease2.svg 1Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 3955
4Increase2.svg 4Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 3945
5Increase2.svg 2Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 3945
6Decrease2.svg 2Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3945
7Decrease2.svg 1Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 3910
8Decrease2.svg 3Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 3865
9Steady2.svgFlag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 3750
10Steady2.svgFlag of Latvia.svg  Latvia 3660
11Steady2.svgFlag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 3500
12Steady2.svgFlag of Norway.svg  Norway 3380
13Increase2.svg 3Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 3340
14Decrease2.svg 1Flag of France.svg  France 3325
15Steady2.svgFlag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 3305
16Decrease2.svg 2Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus 3245
17Increase2.svg 3Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 3095
18Increase2.svg 1Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 3090
19Decrease2.svg 2Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia 3090
20Decrease2.svg 2Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 3025
Women's
RankChange*TeamPoints
1Steady2.svgFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 4270
2Steady2.svgFlag of the United States.svg  United States 4210
3Increase2.svg 1Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 3975
4Increase2.svg 1Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 3965
5Decrease2.svg 2Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 3960
6Steady2.svgFlag of Russia.svg  Russia 3880
7Steady2.svgFlag of Japan.svg  Japan 3775
8Steady2.svgFlag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 3750
9Steady2.svgFlag of Germany.svg  Germany 3650
10Steady2.svgFlag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 3520
11Steady2.svgFlag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 3490
12Increase2.svg 2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 3425
13Decrease2.svg 1Flag of France.svg  France 3415
14Increase2.svg 1Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 3340
15Decrease2.svg 2Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 3315
16Steady2.svgFlag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 3175
17Steady2.svgFlag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 3170
18Increase2.svg 1Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 3080
19Decrease2.svg 1Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 3025
20Steady2.svgFlag of Poland.svg  Poland 2955

The IIHF World Ranking is a ranking of the performance of the national ice hockey teams of member countries of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It is based on a formula giving points for each team's placings at IIHF-sanctioned tournaments over the previous four years. The ranking is used to determine seedings and qualification requirements for future IIHF tournaments. The current leader in rankings is Canada in both men's and women's play.

Contents

Description

The system was approved at the IIHF congress of September 2003. [2] According to former IIHF President René Fasel, the system was designed to be simple to understand and "reflect the long-term quality of all national hockey programs and their commitment to international hockey". [3]

The ranking is used to determine the seeding of the teams for the next World Championship and to select the teams which can participate in Winter Olympics without playing in the qualifying round. For example, for the 2022 Winter Olympics, the first eight teams of the Men's World Ranking and the first six of the Women's World Ranking were pre-qualified. Qualification for the men's tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics was structured around the 2019 ranking. Twelve spots were made available for teams. The top eight teams in the World Ranking after the 2019 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships received automatic berths into the Ice Hockey event. All IIHF teams had an opportunity to qualify for the event. Teams that wished to participate ranked below 36th played in two preliminary qualifications in November 2019. The two winners of the first preliminaries and teams ranked 27–36th were divided in three groups to play in the second pre-qualification round in December 2019. The three winners of those preliminaries joined teams ranked 18–26th for the third pre-qualification round of three groups in February 2020. The winner of each of these pre-qualification groups and teams ranked 9–17 were divided in three groups to play in the final qualification in August 2021. The winner of each group then joined the eight top-ranked teams plus the host in the Olympics in 2022.

The women's tournament uses a similar qualification format. The top six teams in the IIHF Women's World Ranking after the 2020 IIHF Women's World Championship received automatic berths into the ice hockey event. Lower ranked teams had an opportunity to qualify for the event. Teams ranked 16th and below were divided into three groups where they played in a preliminary qualification round in the October 2021. The three group winners from the round advanced to the final qualification round, where the teams ranked seventh through fifteenth joined them. [4]

Formula

The world ranking is based on the final positions of the last four Men's or Women's IIHF World Championships and last Olympic ice hockey tournament. Points are assigned according to a team's final placement in the World Championship or the Olympic tournament. The world champion receives 1600 points and then a 20-point interval is used between teams. However, a 40-point interval is used between gold and silver, silver and bronze, fourth and fifth, and eighth and ninth. This is used as a bonus for the teams who reach the quarter-finals, the semi-finals, the final and for winning the gold medal. [1] Prior to 2023, the world champion received 1200 points, with other teams receiving the same point interval decreases.

Place1234567891011121314151617181920...
Points16001560152015001460144014201400136013401320130012801260124012201200118011601140...

Points awarded in the current year are valued at the full amount. Points award in the prior years decline linearly by 25% until the fifth year when they are dropped from the calculation. Under this formula, any year with a World Championship and an Olympics will be counted twice in the tables [lower-alpha 1] , for a maximum ranking (gold medal in all five events) of: 5600 points at the completion of an Olympic year, 5200 points at the completion of the following year, 4800 points the next year, and 4400 points in the year before the next Olympics. For example, if after the 2026 Championship a team had won the gold medal in the last four championships and the last Olympic tournament, their score would be 5600: [lower-alpha 2]

CompetitionValuation
coefficient
Points
2026 IIHF World Championship100%1600
2026 Winter Olympics100%1600
2025 IIHF World Championship75%1200
2024 IIHF World Championship50%800
2023 IIHF World Championship25%400
2022 IIHF World Championship0%0
2022 Winter Olympics0%0
Counts Five Tournaments from Four Latest Years5600
  1. From April 2014 to August 2022, Women's rankings counted Olympics points twice, to be on same formula as Men's rankings, as no Women's top division World Championship was held in Olympic years. This changed with the Women's top division starting to be held in Olympic years in 2022.
  2. Due to the point value change from 2023, tournaments from 2020-2022 will still use the 1200 point values in the formula.

Men's rankings

The Men's 2024 ranking is based on the performance at the World Championships of 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021, and at the Olympic Ice Hockey tournament of 2022.

All tournaments in 2020 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, teams were awarded points based on their seeding for their respective tournaments. The Championship division received points based on the 2019 World Ranking, while the remaining divisions received points based on the previous year's results. For a fairer ranking and point distribution, the IIHF Council decided that the points for 2021 in case of tournament cancellations are given according to the ranking position of each team in the 2021 Pre-Championship Report – taking into consideration the results in 2018, 2019 and 2020 – rather than by seeding as in the past. [5]

For the 2022 Winter Olympics, Russia was still under a 2019 ban by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) because of that country's state-sponsored doping scheme. [6] On 19 February 2021, the International Olympic Committee announced that individual athletes from Russia, who had consistently passed ongoing anti-doping tests, could compete under the acronym "ROC" (the full name "Russian Olympic Committee" could not be displayed), and that the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee would be used for the COVID-19 pandemic-delayed 2020 Summer Olympics and the unchanged 2022 Winter Olympics. [7]

Russia and Belarus were expelled from competing in the 2022 and 2023 World Championships because of their invasion of Ukraine. They were, however, granted the points of the positions they would have been seeded based on their 2021 ranking: in 2022, Russia in third place received 1120 points, and Belarus in 14th place received 860 points. Several nations withdrew from the 2022 World Championships over COVID-19 concerns. These nations similarly received the points of the positions they would have been seeded within their respective tournaments: Australia as second place in IIA received 560 points, New Zealand as third place in IIB received 440 points, North Korea as first place in IIIA received 360 points, Hong Kong as second place in IIIB received 220 points, and the Philippines as fourth place in IV received 100 points. [8]

The following table lists the full breakdown of ranking following the 2024 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships. [9] All tournament's points have their full value displayed, while the ranking is calculated by adding the current year's tournament points to the depreciated previous three years' tournament points as explained above. The depreciated percentages are shown in the column headings, first for the current total, then for the new total. The "Total" columns are the sums of the current tournament points and the depreciated values for past tournaments. The "+/–" columns indicate the increase or decrease in ranking since the last tournament. A dash in a tournament column indicates that the country did not participate.

2024
Rank
2023
Rank
TeamWC division
(as of 2024)
WC2024
(—)
(100%)
WC2023
(100%)
(75%)
WC2022
(75%)
(50%)
OLY2022
(75%)
(50%)
WC2021
(50%)
(25%)
WC2020
(25%)
(—)
2024
Total
+/−2023
Total
+/−
11Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Championship1500160011601040120012004100Steady2.svg4150Increase2.svg 1
23Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Expelled1520152011201160106011604065Increase2.svg 14050Steady2.svg
32Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Championship1400142012001200116011203955Decrease2.svg 14080Decrease2.svg 1
48Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Championship160014001120960102010603945Increase2.svg 43735Decrease2.svg 2
57Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland Championship1560146010601000104010003945Increase2.svg 23775Steady2.svg
64Flag of the United States.svg  United States Championship1460150011001060112010403945Decrease2.svg 23940Steady2.svg
76Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Championship152014401040110096011003910Decrease2.svg 13800Decrease2.svg 1
85Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Championship144015601020940110010203865Decrease2.svg 33835Increase2.svg 4
99Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia Championship142013601000112010009603750Steady2.svg3690Decrease2.svg 1
1010Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia Championship136015209409209209403660Steady2.svg3610Increase2.svg 1
1111Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Championship1280134096010209009003500Steady2.svg3500Decrease2.svg 1
1212Flag of Norway.svg  Norway Championship132012808808808809203380Steady2.svg3270Steady2.svg
1316Flag of Austria.svg  Austria Championship134012609208007807803340Increase2.svg 33135Decrease2.svg 1
1413Flag of France.svg  France Championship126013009008608408003325Decrease2.svg 13240Steady2.svg
1515Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan Championship130013208607009408403305Steady2.svg3170Increase2.svg 1
1614Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Expelled124012608608408408803245Decrease2.svg 23175Steady2.svg
1720Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain Championship124012008206608608203095Increase2.svg 32945Decrease2.svg 2
1819Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary Division I A120012407807807207203090Increase2.svg 12950Increase2.svg 1
1917Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia Division I A118012208008207407403090Decrease2.svg 22990Increase2.svg 2
2018Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Division I A116011608407408208603025Decrease2.svg 22970Decrease2.svg 1
2122Flag of Poland.svg  Poland Championship122011807007607006603010Increase2.svg 12790Steady2.svg
2221Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea Division I A110011407407207607602875Decrease2.svg 12805Steady2.svg
2323Flag of Romania.svg  Romania Division I A114011207206406607002825Steady2.svg2645Increase2.svg 1
2425Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Division I A112010806806806406402770Increase2.svg 12580Steady2.svg
2524Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania Division I B106011007606006806802735Decrease2.svg 12630Decrease2.svg 1
2626Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Division I B102010406009005004802675Steady2.svg2535Steady2.svg
2727Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine Division I B108010606606206006002665Steady2.svg2470Steady2.svg
2828Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia Division I B104010206405806206202570Steady2.svg2400Steady2.svg
2929Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Division I B98010005805605805602445Steady2.svg2285Steady2.svg
3032Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Division I B10009605405205205002380Increase2.svg 22140Steady2.svg
3130Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia Division II A9409806205005605802375Decrease2.svg 12245Steady2.svg
3231Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia Division II A9609405605405405402350Decrease2.svg 12170Steady2.svg
3333Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Division II A9009005204204604602160Steady2.svg1950Steady2.svg
3434Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland Division II A8608804804804404202110Steady2.svg1925Steady2.svg
3535Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Division II A8809205604805201970Steady2.svg1710Increase2.svg 1
3639Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates Division II A9208403603202002201940Increase2.svg 31505Increase2.svg 4
3736Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria Division II B7808004203803403401865Decrease2.svg 11655Increase2.svg 1
3838Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Division II B7407603404603003001785Steady2.svg1585Steady2.svg
3940Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Division II B8408204404204401780Increase2.svg 11470Steady2.svg
4041Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg  Chinese Taipei Division II B7607203004402402401730Increase2.svg 11455Decrease2.svg 2
4142Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Division II B8207804403604001715Increase2.svg 11390Steady2.svg
4237Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico Division III A6207404003604003601655Decrease2.svg 51600Decrease2.svg 2
4344Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand Division III A7206602203401401601530Increase2.svg 11190Increase2.svg 2
4443Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg Division III A6806402803002802601520Decrease2.svg 11280Increase2.svg 1
4546Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan Division III A7006001604001001001455Increase2.svg 11095Increase2.svg 3
4645Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan Division III A6607003202602801410Decrease2.svg 11140Increase2.svg 3
4749Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Division III A6406802402202001325Increase2.svg 21020Increase2.svg 2
4848Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina Division III B6005802002601601401305Steady2.svg1040Increase2.svg 2
4947Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong Division III B5605602202801801801275Decrease2.svg 21070Steady2.svg
5053Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia Division II B8000 [lower-alpha 1] 4603803801125Increase2.svg 3630Decrease2.svg 12
5151Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore Division III B52054012040995Steady2.svg650Increase2.svg 4
5250Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait Division IV46044080240120120980Decrease2.svg 2770Increase2.svg 2
5355Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines Division III B5404801006060965Increase2.svg 2600Decrease2.svg 1
5454Flag of Iran.svg  Iran Division III B500520140960Steady2.svg625Increase2.svg 2
5552Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia Division IV4205001008080865Decrease2.svg 3635Increase2.svg 1
5656Flag of North Korea.svg  North Korea Division III B580360320320840Steady2.svg510Decrease2.svg 11
5757Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia Division IV480460825Steady2.svg460new
5858Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia Division IV440420755Steady2.svg420new
  1. Georgia's result in 2023 was invalidated by the IIHF.

Women's rankings

The Women's 2024 ranking is based on the performance at the World Championships of 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021, and at the Olympic Ice Hockey tournament of 2022.

Most of the tournaments in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, teams were awarded points based on their seeding for their respective tournaments. The Championship division received points based on the previous year's ranking, while Divisions IA, IB, and IIA received points based on the previous year's results. Divisions IIB and III were completed and scored as scheduled in 2020.

For the 2022 Winter Olympics, Russia was still under a 2019 ban by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) because of that country's state-sponsored doping scheme. [6] On 19 February 2021, the International Olympic Committee announced that individual athletes from Russia, who had consistently passed ongoing anti-doping tests, could compete under the acronym "ROC" (the full name "Russian Olympic Committee" could not be displayed), and that the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee would be used for the COVID-19 pandemic-delayed 2020 Summer Olympics and the unchanged 2022 Winter Olympics. [7]

The following table lists the ranking following the 2024 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships. [9] All tournament's points have their full value displayed, while the ranking is calculated by adding the current year's tournament points to the depreciated previous three years' tournament points as explained above. The depreciated percentages are shown in the column headings, first for the current total, then for the new total. The "Total" columns are the sums of the current tournament points and the depreciated values for past tournaments. The "+/–" columns indicate the increase or decrease in ranking since the last tournament. A dash in a tournament column indicates that the country did not participate.

2024
Rank
2023
Rank
TeamWC division
(as of 2023)
WC2024
(—)
(100%)
WC2023
(100%)
(75%)
WC2022
(75%)
(50%)
OLY2022
(75%)
(50%)
WC2021
(50%)
(25%)
WC2020
(25%)
(0%)
2024
Total
+/−2023
Total
+/−
11Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Championship1600156012001200120011604270Steady2.svg4250Steady2.svg
22Flag of the United States.svg  United States Championship1560160011601160116012004210Steady2.svg4220Steady2.svg
34Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Championship1520146010401120112011203975Increase2.svg 13920Decrease2.svg 1
45Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Championship1500152011201020102010203965Increase2.svg 13890Increase2.svg 1
53Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland Championship1460150011001100110010603960Decrease2.svg 23965Increase2.svg 1
66Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Expelled1440146011001060106011003880Steady2.svg3885Decrease2.svg 1
77Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Championship1400142010601040104010403775Steady2.svg3775Steady2.svg
88Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Championship14201440102010009609203750Steady2.svg3665Steady2.svg
99Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Championship14401400960860100010003650Steady2.svg3515Increase2.svg 1
1010Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary Division I A1300136010009209609403520Steady2.svg3515Decrease2.svg 1
1111Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Championship134013009409409409603490Steady2.svg3420Steady2.svg
1214Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Championship136013208209607407403425Increase2.svg 23210Increase2.svg 2
1312Flag of France.svg  France Division I A128013409208809209003415Decrease2.svg 13375Steady2.svg
1415Flag of Norway.svg  Norway Division I A132012409008408808803340Increase2.svg 13205Decrease2.svg 2
1513Flag of Austria.svg  Austria Division I A126012808609008608603315Decrease2.svg 23245Increase2.svg 1
1616Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia Division I B120012208808208408403175Steady2.svg3125Decrease2.svg 1
1717Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Division I A124012608407407808203170Steady2.svg3040Increase2.svg 1
1819Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea Division I A122012007407808007803080Increase2.svg 12935Steady2.svg
1918Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Division I B116011607808008208003025Decrease2.svg 12955Decrease2.svg 1
2020Flag of Poland.svg  Poland Division I B110011808007607607602955Steady2.svg2920Steady2.svg
2123Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain Division I B114011207007206606602855Increase2.svg 22680Steady2.svg
2221Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia Division I B112011407206806807002845Decrease2.svg 12705Increase2.svg 1
2322Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan Division II A108011007606607207202795Decrease2.svg 12705Decrease2.svg 1
2424Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Division II A106010606607006406402695Steady2.svg2560Steady2.svg
2525Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico Division II A104010406206406206202605Steady2.svg2450Steady2.svg
2626Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg  Chinese Taipei Division II A102010206406205405802550Steady2.svg2380Steady2.svg
2729Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia Division I B118010806807006802505Increase2.svg 22110Steady2.svg
2827Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland Division II A100010005806005205402470Decrease2.svg 12280Steady2.svg
2928Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Division II B8808605405805805002275Decrease2.svg 12115Steady2.svg
3030Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong Division II B9208403805604603402135Steady2.svg1860Steady2.svg
3131Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Division II B9409405605605602065Steady2.svg1780Increase2.svg 2
3236Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Division II A9809604604004202030Increase2.svg 41610Increase2.svg 3
3334Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Division II B9009205405005201985Increase2.svg 11705Increase2.svg 1
3432Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania Division III A8008004405203403601965Decrease2.svg 21780Increase2.svg 2
3537Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Division II B8609005204204401900Increase2.svg 21610Steady2.svg
3633Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria Division III A7407604205403603801880Decrease2.svg 31755Decrease2.svg 1
3735Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia Division III A7608805004804801790Decrease2.svg 21615Increase2.svg 1
3838Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine Division III A8408204603804601780Steady2.svg1470Steady2.svg
3939Flag of Romania.svg  Romania Division III A8207804204404001725Steady2.svg1415Increase2.svg 1
4041Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia Division III B7007403403201505Increase2.svg 11155Steady2.svg
4143Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia Division III A7807203201480Increase2.svg 2960Steady2.svg
4240Flag of North Korea.svg  North Korea Division II B9606206006001420Decrease2.svg 21315Decrease2.svg 9
4342Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina Division III B6406803003001375Decrease2.svg 11055Steady2.svg
4444Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Division III B6807002801345Steady2.svg910Steady2.svg
45Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand Division III B720720new
46Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore Division III B660660new

See also

Related Research Articles

Eight teams qualified for the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2010 Winter Olympics. The top six teams in the IIHF World Ranking after the 2008 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships received automatic berths into the Ice Hockey event. Lower ranked teams had an opportunity to qualify for the event. Teams ranked 13th and below were divided into two groups where they played in a first qualification round in September 2008. The two group winners from the round advanced to the second qualification round, where the teams ranked 7th through 12th joined them. In the second qualifying round, played in November 2008, the teams were again divided into two groups. The two group winners China and Slovakia advanced to the Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics</span>

The ice hockey competitions of the 2014 Winter Olympics were played at two venues, located 300 meters from the other, within the Olympic Park in Sochi, Russia. The Bolshoy Ice Dome, which seats 12,000, resembles a Fabergé egg. The Shayba Arena, seating 7,000, was supposed to be a moveable structure but eventually stayed in Sochi. Both venues are international sized.

Qualification for the men's tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics was determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2012 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. The top nine teams in the world ranking received automatic berths into the Olympics, while all other teams had an opportunity to qualify for the remaining three spots in the Olympics. As with Canada in 2010, the IIHF made no mention of direct qualification for the host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament</span>

The men's tournament in ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics was held in Sochi, Russia between 12–23 February 2014. For the fifth consecutive Olympics, players from the National Hockey League participated. Twelve countries qualified for the tournament; nine of them did so automatically by virtue of their ranking by the International Ice Hockey Federation, while the other three took part in a qualification tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament</span>

The women's tournament in ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics was held in Sochi, Russia.

Qualification for the men's tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics was determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2015 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. The host along with the top eight teams in the world ranking received automatic berths into the Olympics, while all other teams had an opportunity to qualify for the remaining three spots in the Olympics. This was the fourth time world rankings were used but the first time that the championships three years prior was used as the final determination.

Qualification for the women's tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2016 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships. The top five teams in the World Ranking received automatic berths into the Olympics, South Korea has received an automatic berth as host, and all other member nations had an opportunity to qualify for the remaining two spots.

The men's tournament in ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics was held in Gangneung, South Korea between 14 and 25 February 2018. Twelve countries qualified for the tournament; eight of them did so automatically by virtue of their ranking by the International Ice Hockey Federation, one, South Korea, automatically qualified as hosts, while the three others took part in a qualification tournament.

The women's tournament in ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics was held in Gangneung, South Korea between 10 and 22 February 2018. Eight countries qualified for the tournament; five of them did so automatically by virtue of their ranking by the International Ice Hockey Federation, one, South Korea, automatically qualified as hosts, while the two others took part in a qualification tournament. Under a special agreement with the IOC and the IIHF, twelve North Korean players joined the host team to form a united team. They were allowed to have an expanded roster of 35 where 22 players dress for each game. Three North Korean players were selected for each game by coach Sarah Murray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 IIHF World Championship</span> 2022 edition of the IIHF World Championship

The 2022 IIHF World Championship was hosted by Finland from 13 to 29 May 2022, as the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on 19 May 2017 in Cologne, Germany. The host cities of the World Championships were Tampere and Helsinki, of which Tampere's brand-new Nokia Arena served as the main venue of the games.

Qualification for the men's tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics was determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2019 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships. The host along with the top eight teams in the world ranking received automatic berths into the Olympics, while all other teams have an opportunity to qualify for the remaining three spots in the Olympics.

The ice hockey competitions of the 2022 Winter Olympics were played at two venues located in the Beijing cluster: the Beijing National Indoor Stadium, which seats 18,000, located at the Olympic Green area, and the Wukesong Arena, seating 10,000, with both arenas having been constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Qualification for the women's tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics was determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2020 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships. The host along with the top six teams in the world ranking received automatic berths into the Olympics, while all other teams had an opportunity to qualify for the remaining three spots in the Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian Olympic Committee athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Russian athletes competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022, under the "Russian Olympic Committee" designation due to the consequences of the doping scandal in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament</span>

The men's tournament in ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics took place in Beijing, China between 9 and 20 February 2022. Twelve countries qualified for the tournament; eight of them did so automatically by virtue of their ranking by the International Ice Hockey Federation, one, China, automatically qualified as hosts, while the three others took part in a qualification tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament</span>

The women's tournament in ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held in Beijing, China between 3 and 17 February 2022. Ten countries qualified for the tournament; six of them did so automatically by virtue of their ranking by the International Ice Hockey Federation, one, China, automatically qualified as hosts, while the three others took part in a qualification tournament.

The ice hockey competitions of the 2026 Winter Olympics will be played at two venues located in the Milan cluster: the PalaItalia and one of the Fiera Milano pavillions.At this edition of the games, for the first time since the 2010 Winter Olympics the size of the skating rinks will be 61-by-26-metre North American-sized rink instead of the IIHF rink mesures 60-by-30-metre.

Qualification for the men's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics was determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2023 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships. The host along with the top eight teams in the world ranking receive automatic berths into the Olympics, while all other teams have an opportunity to qualify for the remaining three spots.

Qualification for the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics will be determined by the IIHF World Ranking following the 2024 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships. The host along with the top six teams in the world ranking receive automatic berths into the Olympics, while all other teams have an opportunity to qualify for the remaining three spots. The participation of Russia is not yet confirmed and depends on if the team is allowed to return to the IIHF Championship program.

References

  1. 1 2 "IIHF – World Ranking". iihf.com. IIHF. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  2. Hockey Canada (30 September 2003). "IIHF Introduces World Ranking and Ranks Canada First in Men's and Women's Hockey" . Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  3. Edvinsson, Jan-Ake, ed. (November 2003). "News release–Hockey fans are the best in the world" (PDF). Ice Times. 7 (5). International Ice Hockey Federation: 7. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  4. "Olympic Winter Games". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  5. "IIHF – Groups for 2022". iihf.com. IIHF. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  6. 1 2 Ruiz, Rebecca R.; Panja, Tariq (5 December 2017). "Russia Banned From Winter Olympics by I.O.C." The New York Times .
  7. 1 2 "Olympics: Russia to compete under ROC acronym in Tokyo as part of doping sanctions". Reuters . 19 February 2021. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  8. "Finland Stays #1 in World Ranking". iihf.com. IIHF. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  9. 1 2 "IIHF - World Ranking". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 29 May 2024.