IIHF announces the 2012 World Championship Program

14 May 2011 | Henrik Lundqvist

The 2011 IIHF Annual Congress decided about the allocations of the 27 tournaments in the IIHF World Championship Program next year. As known earlier Sweden and Finland, the 2011 finalists, will co-host the World Championship. Slovenia (Group A) and Poland (Group B) will host the World Championship Division 1.

2012 IIHF World Championship Program

IIHF World Championship (Men)

World Championship
Venues: Helsinki (Finland) & Stockholm (Sweden)
Dates: 4-20 May 2012
Groups to be determined on May 15 after the gold medal game.
Participants: Russia, Canada, Sweden, Czech Republic, Finland, USA, Switzerland, Slovakia, Germany, Belarus, Norway, Latvia, Denmark, France, Italy, Kazakhstan.

World Championship Division I Group A
Venue: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dates: 15-21 April 2012
Participants: Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Great Britain, Japan, Ukraine

World Championship Division I Group B
Venue: Krynica, Poland
Dates: 15-21 April 2012
Participants: Korea, Poland, Netherlands, Lithuania, Romania, Australia

World Championship Division II Group A
Venue: Reykjavik, Iceland
Dates: 12-18 April 2012
Participants: Spain, Estonia, Croatia, New Zealand, Serbia, Iceland

World Championship Division II Group B
Venue: Sofia, Bulgaria
Dates: 2-8 April 2012
Participants: Belgium, China, Mexico, Bulgaria, Israel, South Africa

World Championship Division III
Venue: Erzurum, Turkey
Dates: 15-21 April 2012
Participants: DPR Korea, Ireland, Turkey, Luxembourg, Greece*, Mongolia*

* Note: Bosnia & Herzegovina and Chinese Taipei applied to enter the Division III. The fulfillment of the minimum standards for participation will be reviewed until the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress, 22-24 September, in Istanbul, Turkey. The admission of additional teams would make a Division III Qualification tournament with the two last-ranked teams seeded in Division III (Greece, Mongolia) necessary.

IIHF World U20 Championship

World U20 Championship
Venue: Calgary & Edmonton, Canada
Dates: 26 December 2011 – 5 January 2012
Group A: Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Latvia
Group B: Canada, USA, Finland, Czech Republic, Denmark

World U20 Championship Division I Group A
Venue: Germany (city TBA)
Dates: 11-17 December 2011
Participants: Norway, Germany, Slovenia, Belarus, Austria, Great Britain

World U20 Championship Division I Group B
Venue: Tychy, Poland
Dates: 12-18 December 2011
Participants: Italy, Kazakhstan, Croatia, Japan, Poland, France

World U20 Championship Division II Group A
Venue: Donetsk, Ukraine
Dates: 12-18 December 2011
Participants: Lithuania, Ukraine, Hungary, Netherlands, Korea, Spain

World U20 Championship Division II Group B
Venue: Tallinn, Estonia
Dates: 10-16 December 2011
Participants: Romania, Belgium, Estonia, Australia, Mexico, Serbia

World U20 Championship Division III
Venue: Dunedin, New Zealand
Dates: 29 December 2011 – 4 January 2012
Participants: Iceland, China, DPR Korea, Turkey, New Zealand*, Bulgaria*

* Note: Chinese Taipei applied to enter the U20 Division III. The fulfillment of the minimum standards for participation will be reviewed until the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress, 22-24 September, in Istanbul, Turkey. The admission of additional teams would make a Division III Qualification tournament with the two last-ranked teams seeded in Division III (New Zealand, Bulgaria) necessary.

IIHF World U18 Championship

World U18 Championship
Venue: Switzerland or Denmark (TBC)
Dates: 12-22 April 2012 (if in Switzerland, TBC)
Group A: USA, Canada, Finland, Czech Republic, Denmark
Group B: Sweden, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Latvia

World U18 Championship Division I Group A
Venue: Piestany, Slovakia
Dates: 11-17 April 2012
Participants: Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Japan, France

World U18 Championship Division I Group B
Venue: Hungary (city TBA)
Dates: 15-21 April 2012
Participants: Kazakhstan, Belarus, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Ukraine

World U18 Championship Division II Group A
Venue: Heerenveen, Netherlands
Dates: 25-31 March 2012
Participants: Great Britain, Korea, Romania, Netherlands, Croatia, Lithuania

World U18 Championship Division II Group B
Venue: Novi Sad, Serbia
Dates: 17-23 March 2012
Participants: Spain, Estonia, China, Serbia, Australia, Iceland

World U18 Championship Division III Group A
Venue: Sofia, Bulgaria
Dates: 12-18 March 2012
Participants: Belgium, New Zealand, Mexico, Chinese Taipei, Bulgaria, South Africa

World U18 Championship Division III Group B
Venue: Erzurum, Turkey
Dates: 11-17 March 2012
Participants: Israel, Turkey, Ireland, Mongolia, Bosnia & Herzegovina*, Hong Kong*

* Note: Bosnia & Herzegovina and Hong Kong applied to enter the U18 Division IIIB. The fulfillment of the minimum standards for participation will be reviewed until the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress, 22-24 September, in Istanbul, Turkey.

IIHF World Women’s Championship

World Women’s Championship
Venue: Burlington (Vermont), USA
Dates: 7-14 April 2012 (TBC)
Group A: USA, Canada, Finland, Russia
Group B: Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Germany

World Women’s Championship Division I Group A
Venue: no applicant, TBD at the Semi-Annual Congress
Dates: TBA
Participants: Japan, Kazakhstan, Norway, Latvia, Austria, Czech Republic

World Women’s Championship Division I Group B
Venue: Great Britain (city TBA)
Dates: TBA
Participants: China, France, Denmark, Italy, Great Britain, Netherlands

World Women’s Championship Division II Group A
Venue: Slovenia (city TBA)
Dates: 24-30 March 2012
Participants: DPR Korea, Australia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, New Zealand

World Women’s Championship Division II Group B
Venue: Seoul, Korea
Dates: 10-16 March 2012
Participants: Belgium, Korea, Iceland, Poland, Qualifier 1, Qualifier 2

World Women’s Championship Division II Group B Qualification
Venue: Spain (city TBA)
Dates: TBA
Participants: South Africa, Spain, Bulgaria, Turkey, Ireland, Mexico*

* Note: Mexico applied to enter the Women’s Division IIB Qualification. The fulfillment of the minimum standards for participation will be reviewed until the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress, 22-24 September, in Istanbul, Turkey.

IIHF World Women’s U18 Championship

World Women’s U18 Championship
Venue: Czech Republic (city TBA)
Dates: TBA
Group A: USA, Czech Republic, Sweden, Russia
Group B: Canada, Finland, Germany, Switzerland

World Women’s U18 Championship Division I
Venue: France applied, TBD at the Semi-Annual Congress
Dates: TBA
Participants: Japan, Slovakia, Austria, Norway, France*, Kazakhstan*

World Women’s U18 Championship Division I Qualification
Venue: no applicant, TBD at the Semi-Annual Congress
Dates: TBA
Participants: Hungary*, China*, Great Britain*, Italy*

* Note: Hungary, China, Great Britain and Italy applied to enter the Women’s U18 Division I Qualification. The fulfillment of the minimum standards for participation will be reviewed until the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress, 22-24 September, in Istanbul, Turkey, and a decision about the qualification tournament will be taken then. The admission of additional teams would make a Women’s U18 Division I Qualification tournament with the two last-ranked teams seeded in Division I (France, Kazakhstan) necessary.