The 2015 IIHF Annual Congress allocated World Championship events of the upcoming season. In total 28 tournaments are planned for next year.
The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A with the second-tier countries of men’s hockey will again be held in Krakow, Poland, where up to 12,632 fans were at games at Tauron Arena Krakow. Total attendance was 66,651.
Slovenia, which was relegated to the Division I Group A here in the Czech Republic, also declared interest in hosting the tournament but withdrew its bid.
The tournament with Austria, Slovenia, Poland, Japan, Italy and Korea will be held from 23-29 April 2016 in the former Polish capital. The top-two teams will be promoted to the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Cologne, Germany, and Paris, France.
The Division I Group B will be held from 17-23 April 2016 in Zagreb, Croatia, whose bid got more votes than Tallinn, Estonia. The participants are Ukraine, Great Britain, Lithuania, Croatia, Estonia and Romania with the winner being promoted to the Division I Group A. Jaca (Spain), Mexico City and Istanbul (Turkey) will host the other men’s tournaments.
The 2015/2016 season will also see the international comeback of Minsk’s Chizhovka Arena. Built as the secondary venue for the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, the 8,807-seat arena will host the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division I Group A. The Division I Group A for the U20 teams will be hosted in Vienna, Austria, and in the women’s category in Aalborg, Denmark.
The top division events for next season have already been allocated earlier. See below for the full list of World Championship events in 2015/2016.
MEN’S CATEGORY
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship
In Moscow & St. Petersburg, Russia, 6-22 May 2016
Groups to be announced after the gold medal game.
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A
In Krakow, Poland, 23-29 April 2016
Participants: Austria, Slovenia, Poland, Japan, Italy, Korea
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group B
In Croatia, Zagreb, 17-23 April 2016
Participants: Ukraine, Great Britain, Lithuania, Croatia, Estonia, Romania
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group A
In Jaca, Spain, 9-15 April 2016
Participants: Netherlands, Belgium, Serbia, Spain, Iceland, China
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group B
In Mexico City, Mexico, 10-16 April 2016
Participants: Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Bulgaria, Israel, DPR Korea
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division III
In Istanbul, Turkey, 31 March – 9 April 2016
Participants: South Africa, Turkey, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, Georgia, United Arab Emirates, Bosnia & Herzegovina
MEN’S U20 CATEGORY
2016 IIHF World Junior Championship
In Helsinki, Finland, 26 December 2015 – 5 January 2016
Group A: Canada, Sweden, USA, Denmark, Switzerland
Group B: Russia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Finland, Belarus
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division I Group A
In Vienna, Austria, 13-19 December 2015
Participants: Germany, Norway, Latvia, Italy, Austria, Kazakhstan
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division I Group B
In Megeve, France, 12-18 December 2015
Participants: Slovakia, Ukraine, Poland, France, Japan, Great Britain
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division II Group A
In Elektrenai, Lithuania, 13-19 December 2015
Participants: Hungary, Lithuania, Korea, Netherlands, Estonia, Croatia
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division II Group B
In Belgrade or Novi Sad, Serbia, dates TBA
Participants: Romania, Spain, Australia, Belgium, Serbia, China
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division III
In Mexico City, Mexico, 15-24 January 2016
Participants: Iceland, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, Israel, Bulgaria
MEN’S U18 CATEGORY
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship
In Grand Forks, USA, 14-24 April 2016
Group A: USA, Switzerland, Russia, Sweden, Latvia
Group B: Finland, Canada, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Denmark
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division I Group A
In Minsk, Belarus, 10-16 April 2016
Participants: Germany, Belarus, France, Norway, Kazakhstan, Austria
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division I Group B
In Asiago, Italy, 18-24 April 2016
Participants: Hungary, Slovenia, Japan, Ukraine, Italy, Korea
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division II Group A
In Brasov, Romania, 4-10 April 2016
Participants: Lithuania, Poland, Great Britain, Netherlands, Croatia, Romania
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division II Group B
In Valdemoro, Spain, 26 March – 1 April 2016
Participants: Estonia, Spain, Serbia, Belgium, China, Iceland
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division III Group A
In Sofia, Bulgaria, 14-20 March 2016
Participants: Australia, Mexico, Bulgaria, Chinese Taipei, Israel, Turkey
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division III Group B
In Johannesburg or Cape Town, South Africa, 15-19 February 2016 (TBC)
Participants: South Africa, New Zealand, Hong Kong
WOMEN’S CATEGORY
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship
In Kamloops, Canada, 28 March – 4 April 2016
Group A: USA, Canada, Finland, Russia
Group B: Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, Czech Republic
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division I Group A
In Aalborg, Denmark, 26 March – 2 April 2016
Participants: Germany, Austria, France, Denmark, Norway, Slovakia
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division I Group B
In Asiago, Italy, 4-10 April 2016
Participants: Latvia, Netherlands, China, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division II Group A
In Bled, Slovenia, 1-7 April 2016
Participants: DPR Korea, Great Britain, Korea, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division II Group B
In Ankara, Turkey, 29 February – 6 March 2016
Participants: New Zealand, Mexico, Spain, Iceland, Australia, Turkey
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division II Group B Qualification
In Sofia, Bulgaria, 7-10 December 2015
Participants: Hong Kong, South Africa, Bulgaria, Romania
WOMEN’S U18 CATEGORY
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship
In St. Catharines, Canada, 8-15 January 2016
Group A: USA, Canada, Russia, Czech Republic
Group B: Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, France
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship Division I
In Hungary, city TBA, 24-30 January 2016
Participants: Japan, Norway, Slovakia, Germany, Hungary, Denmark
2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship Division I Qualification
Due to the high interest, a new format and the participants will be determined at the 2015 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress in September 2015.