2026 IIHF World Championship Division III
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries | South Africa Hong Kong |
| Venues | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Dates | 13–19 April |
| Teams | 12 |
The 2026 IIHF World Championship Division III consists of two international ice hockey tournaments organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Divisions III A and III B represent the sixth and the seventh tier of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships.[1][2]
Group A tournament
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | South Africa |
| City | Cape Town |
| Venue | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Dates | 13–19 April |
| Teams | 6 |
The Division II Group A tournament will be played in Cape Town, South Africa, from 13 to 19 April 2026.
Participating teams
| Team | Qualification |
|---|---|
| Thailand | Placed 6th in Division II B in 2025 and were relegated. |
| Turkmenistan | Placed 2nd in Division III A in 2025. |
| Turkey | Placed 3rd in Division III A in 2025. |
| South Africa | Hosts; placed 4th in Division III A in 2025. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Placed 5th in Division III A in 2025. |
| Mexico | Placed 1st in Division III B in 2025 and were promoted. |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thailand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Promotion to the 2027 Division II B |
| 2 | Turkmenistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Turkey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | South Africa (H) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Mexico | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to the 2027 Division III B |
First match(es) will be played: 13 April 2026. Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host
Group B tournament
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Hong Kong |
| Venue | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Dates | 13–19 April |
| Teams | 6 |
| Official website | |
| Website | |
The Division III Group B tournament will be played in Hong Kong from 13 to 19 April 2026.
Participating teams
| Team | Qualification |
|---|---|
| Luxembourg | Placed 6th in Division III A in 2025 and were relegated. |
| North Korea | Placed 2nd in Division III B in 2025. |
| Hong Kong | Hosts; placed 3rd in Division III B in 2025. |
| Mongolia | Placed 4th in Division III B in 2025. |
| Philippines | Placed 5th in Division III B in 2025. |
| Uzbekistan | Placed 1st in Division IV in 2025 and were promoted. |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luxembourg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Promotion to the 2027 Division III A |
| 2 | North Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Hong Kong (H) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Philippines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Mongolia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Uzbekistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to the 2027 Division IV |
First match(es) will be played: 13 April 2026. Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host
Results
All times are local (UTC+8).
| 13 April 2026 13:00 | Uzbekistan | v | Mongolia | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 13 April 2026 16:30 | North Korea | v | Philippines | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 13 April 2026 20:00 | Hong Kong | v | Luxembourg | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 14 April 2026 13:00 | Philippines | v | Uzbekistan | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 14 April 2026 16:30 | Luxembourg | v | Mongolia | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 14 April 2026 20:00 | North Korea | v | Hong Kong | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 16 April 2026 13:00 | North Korea | v | Uzbekistan | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 16 April 2026 16:30 | Luxembourg | v | Philippines | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 16 April 2026 20:00 | Hong Kong | v | Mongolia | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 17 April 2026 13:00 | Uzbekistan | v | Luxembourg | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 17 April 2026 16:30 | Mongolia | v | North Korea | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 17 April 2026 20:00 | Philippines | v | Hong Kong | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 19 April 2026 13:00 | Mongolia | v | Philippines | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 19 April 2026 16:30 | Luxembourg | v | North Korea | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
| 19 April 2026 20:00 | Hong Kong | v | Uzbekistan | DB Ice Rink, Hong Kong |
References
- ^ "Tournaments, 2026 season". www.iihf.com.
- ^ "A report from the IIHF Congress". www.iihf.com. 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.