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What Is the IIHF Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship 2025?

The IIHF Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship is the biggest event in international hockey outside of the Winter Olympics. It’s a fast, physical, and fiercely competitive tournament where national teams battle it out for global bragging rights. Run by the International Ice Hockey Federation and held every year, it brings together 16 of the top-ranked countries for two weeks of nonstop action.

Each edition of the tournament carries enormous pride and pressure. With national rosters packed with NHL and European league talent, fans can expect high-intensity games and plenty of upsets as the competition unfolds.

With a format that starts in groups and builds toward high-stakes elimination games, the World Championship packs in plenty of tension and momentum shifts. Every match matters, from early group-stage clashes to the battles that decide who makes it through to the medal rounds.

Do Teams Compete For Prize Money?

Unlike many major sporting tournaments, the IIHF Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship does not offer prize money to the winning team, and that’s largely because it’s a nation vs nation competition. Instead, it’s all about national pride and the honour of lifting one of hockey’s most respected international trophies.

Players compete for medals, ranking points, and in many cases, the opportunity to either represent their country at the Winter Olympics or gain promotion into the IIHF World Championship Top Division. While the tournament doesn’t offer direct financial incentives, it plays a big part in international rankings.

Individual players may receive bonuses from their national federations or sponsors depending on their performance, but these are not organised or published by the IIHF.

Which Teams Are Competing at the IIHF Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship 2025?

Canada

Sweden

Finland

Slovakia

Latvia

Austria

France

Slovenia

United States

Czech Republic

Germany

Switzerland

Denmark

Norway

Kazakhstan

Hungary

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Group A – Stockholm (Avicii Arena, Sweden)

• Canada – The defending champions and perennial favourites, packed with a wealth of NHL talent.
• Sweden (host) – A strong, experienced squad that will be playing on home ice and chasing their first gold since 2018.
• Finland – Always a serious contender, known for discipline, goaltending, and team structure.
• Slovakia – A rising force in the game with a team that features an exciting younger core as well as a seasoned Olympic pedigree.
• Latvia – After a surprise bronze in 2023, they’ve proven they’re no longer a dark horse.
• Austria – A team battling to stay in the top division but capable of springing a shock.
• France – Looking to climb the ranks and secure a quarterfinal place.
• Slovenia – A plucky group featuring veteran talent like Anže Kopitar, but they’ll be fighting an uphill battle to avoid relegation.

Group B – Herning (Jyske Bank Boxen, Denmark)

• USA – A fast, physical team with plenty of NHL names and serious designs on winning a medal in Herning.
• Czechia – Traditionally strong and always dangerous in tournament play.
• Germany – Consistently improving, with a bronze in 2023 and silver in 2021.
• Switzerland – Technically sharp, quick in transition, and difficult to break down.
• Denmark (host) – Hoping to rally the home crowd and push for a playoff berth.
• Norway – Tough and hard-working, aiming to stay clear of the drop zone.
• Kazakhstan – Unpredictable but growing in strength year by year.
• Hungary – Back in the top division, with survival as the main goal.
  With a mix of proven winners and hungry underdogs, this year’s group stage promises some early fireworks and potentially a few surprise scorelines.

Tournament Format & Structure

The 2025 IIHF Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship starts with a group stage (as detailed above), followed by a single-elimination playoff bracket.

The 16 teams vying for glory are split into two groups of eight. Each team plays every other team in its group once, with the top four from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. From there, it’s a straight knockout: quarterfinals, semifinals, and medal games, including a bronze match and the final.

• Group Stage: Round-robin format (7 games per team)
• Knockout Rounds: Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Bronze & Gold Medal Games
• Relegation: The lowest-ranked team in each group is relegated to Division I for 2026

Tiebreakers are decided by head-to-head results, goal difference, and IIHF tiebreaking rules. Teams earn three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime/shootout win, one for an overtime/shootout loss, and zero for a regulation loss.

Who Will Win the IIHF Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship 2025?

With so much talent on show and national pride at stake, predicting the winner is no easy task. However, based on current form, recent international performances, and the makeup of each team, here are the top contenders, as well as what might help or hurt their chances.

Even beyond these favourites, countries like Switzerland and Latvia have pulled off big wins in recent times, and thanks to the knockout format, a single game can flip the entire bracket.