2026 IIHF World U18 Championship Division I
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries | Poland Estonia |
| Venues | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Dates | 18–24 April 2026 (A) 25 April – 1 May 2026 (B) |
| Teams | 12 |
The 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division I consists of two international under-18 ice hockey tournaments organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Divisions I A and I B represent the second and the third tier of the IIHF World U18 Championship.
Division I A
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Poland |
| City | Krynica-Zdrój |
| Venue | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Dates | 18–24 April 2026 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Official website | |
| www.iihf.com | |
The Division I Group A tournament will be played in Krynica-Zdrój, Poland, from 18 to 24 April 2025.[1][2]
Participating teams
| Team | Qualification |
|---|---|
| Switzerland | Placed 10th in Top Division last year and were relegated |
| Ukraine | Placed 2nd in Division I A last year |
| Kazakhstan | Placed 3rd in Division I A last year |
| Slovenia | Placed 4th in Division I A last year |
| Hungary | Placed 5th in Division I A last year |
| Poland | Hosts; Placed 1st in Division I B last year and were promoted |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Promotion to the 2027 Top Division |
| 2 | Ukraine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Slovenia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Hungary | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Poland (H) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to the 2027 Division I B |
First match(es) will be played: 18 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
Match results
All times are local (Central European Summer Time; UTC+2).
| 18 April 2026 12:30 | Hungary | v | Kazakhstan | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 18 April 2026 16:00 | Slovenia | v | Ukraine | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 18 April 2026 19:30 | Poland | v | Switzerland | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 19 April 2026 12:30 | Ukraine | v | Hungary | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 19 April 2026 16:00 | Switzerland | v | Slovenia | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 19 April 2026 19:30 | Kazakhstan | v | Poland | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 21 April 2026 12:30 | Switzerland | v | Hungary | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 21 April 2026 16:00 | Ukraine | v | Kazakhstan | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 21 April 2026 19:30 | Poland | v | Slovenia | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 23 April 2026 12:30 | Kazakhstan | v | Switzerland | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 23 April 2026 16:00 | Slovenia | v | Hungary | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 23 April 2026 19:30 | Ukraine | v | Poland | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 24 April 2026 12:30 | Kazakhstan | v | Slovenia | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 23 April 2026 16:00 | Switzerland | v | Ukraine | Krynica Ice Stadium |
| 23 April 2026 19:30 | Hungary | v | Poland | Krynica Ice Stadium |
Source: Match Schedule
Division I B
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Estonia |
| City | Tallinn |
| Venue | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Dates | 25 April – 1 May 2026 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Official website | |
| www.iihf.com | |
The Division I Group B tournament will be played in Tallinn, Estonia, from 25 April to 1 May 2026.[3][4]
Participating teams
| Team | Qualification |
|---|---|
| Austria | Placed 6th in 2025 Division I A and were relegated |
| Lithuania | Placed 2nd in Division I B last year |
| South Korea | Placed 3rd in Division I B last year |
| France | Placed 4th in Division I B last year |
| Estonia | Hosts; Placed 5th in Division I B last year |
| Italy | Placed 1st in Division II A last year and were promoted |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Promotion to the 2027 Division I A |
| 2 | Lithuania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Estonia (H) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Italy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to the 2027 Division II A |
First match(es) will be played: 25 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
Match results
All times are local (Eastern European Summer Time; UTC+3).
| 25 April 2026 12:30 | Italy | v | Austria | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 25 April 2026 16:00 | France | v | Lithuania | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 25 April 2026 19:30 | Estonia | v | South Korea | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 26 April 2026 12:30 | Austria | v | France | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 26 April 2026 16:00 | Lithuania | v | Estonia | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 26 April 2026 19:30 | South Korea | v | Italy | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 28 April 2026 12:30 | Lithuania | v | South Korea | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 28 April 2026 16:00 | Italy | v | France | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 28 April 2026 19:30 | Austria | v | Estonia | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 30 April 2026 12:30 | Lithuania | v | Italy | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 30 April 2026 16:00 | South Korea | v | Austria | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 30 April 2026 19:30 | France | v | Estonia | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 1 May 2026 12:30 | Austria | v | Lithuania | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 1 May 2026 16:00 | South Korea | v | France | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
| 1 May 2026 19:30 | Estonia | v | Italy | Tondiraba Ice Hall |
Source: Match Schedule
References
- ^ 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division I A official website, www.iihf.com
- ^ 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division I A statistics, stats.iihf.com
- ^ 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division I B official website, www.iihf.com
- ^ 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division I B statistics, stats.iihf.com