Wikipedia entry for the International Ice Hockey Federation

The European Cup was established by the IIHF for the 1965–66 season as a tournament featuring top club teams from various parts of Europe. The rankings assigned to teams that placed fifth in the preliminary phase were ninth and tenth (while those that finished sixth received the 11th and 12th spots), and this pattern continued. A „Long List” had to be submitted by all 16 nations involved, through their respective national associations, at least two weeks prior to the tournament, with a final roster required by the Passport Control meeting before it began. Ultimately, on May 27, 2022, the rights to host the event were granted to Switzerland by the IIHF Congress.

Women’s

Every year (the IIHF hosts an awards ceremony on the penultimate day of the Ice Hockey World Championship), followed by the hall of fame induction ceremony on the championship’s final day. Due to safety and security concerns sparked by political unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic, the IIHF decided in January 2021 to relocate the 2021 World Championship from Minsk to Riga, Latvia. A boycott campaign titled „Don’t play with the dictator!” was launched by several human rights organizations, with appeals also made from the US Congress, the German Parliament, and the European Parliament.

Tournaments

The long-term quality of national team programs in different countries is reflected by the IIHF World Ranking. As of July 2026, this list https://lifesratchet.com comprises 77 of the 84 member countries of the IIHF that each have over 100 registered players. National bodies devoted to the sport characterize full members — who also take part in international championships every year.

Arranging sponsorships (licenses), advertising, and merchandising for all IIHF competitions lies within the responsibilities of the IIHF. Each team was required to have a roster including at least 15 skaters , forwards and defencemen, and two goaltenders, but could include up to 22 skaters and three goaltenders. The tournament experienced several surprising outcomes (with Norway’s victory over Canada in the bronze medal game being particularly notable), especially since Norway had nearly been relegated to Division I in the 2024 and 2025 tournaments.

Match officials

• Another responsibility is to foster amicable relations among member national associations and to ensure the sport is governed in an orderly fashion.
• The pro players whose teams had been eliminated from the playoffs were allowed to compete and in exchange — Canada agreed to participate in the World Championships.
• The rules governing IIHF events are distinct from those applied in North American hockey and the regulations of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Finland secured its fifth title by defeating the host nation, Switzerland, 1–0 in overtime, marking Switzerland’s third consecutive defeat in the finals. Zurich and Fribourg (Switzerland), hosted the 2026 IIHF World Championship from May 15 to May 31, 2026, as announced by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on May 27, 2022, in Tampere, Finland. For details regarding the women’s tournament, refer to the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship. This data is derived from the number of registered ice hockey players — encompassing males, females, and juniors, as provided by the respective national federations. In 2025, Paul Graham was honored for his career in covering IIHF events with The Sports Network. Al Michaels was the first individual to receive this honor; he famously exclaimed „Do you believe in Miracles?” during the victory of the United States men’s national team over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

The federation is governed by the legislative body of the IIHF which is the General Congress along with the executive body — which is the council. It is also the body that presides over ice hockey at the Olympic Games as well as over all levels of the IIHF World Championships. Another purpose of the federation is to provide aid in the young players’ development and in the development of coaches and game officials.

Host nation bid

Another duty is to promote friendly relations among the member national associations and to operate in an organized manner for the good order of the sport. Previously (the IIHF also managed the development of inline hockey), but in June 2019, the IIHF announced that they would no longer govern inline hockey or organize the Inline Hockey World Championships. Rules of play for IIHF events differ from hockey in North America and the rules of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Honors and awards

Professional players from teams that had been eliminated from the playoffs were permitted to participate — prompting Canada to agree to join the World Championships. The 1962 World Championship was boycotted by the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia when it was held in the American cities of Colorado Springs and Denver, leading to similar actions from other Eastern Bloc nations. Additionally, this body is responsible for electing the president and the council, sometimes referred to as the board. Conversely, the federation organizes all IIHF events and works to establish and maintain communication with other sports federations and groups.

The award is given to an individual or a group who have made significant contributions to growth and development in youth ice hockey. Named after Paul Loicq (who was president of the IIHF from 1922 until 1947), it is the highest personal recognition given by the IIHF. It is presented annually to honor a person who has made „outstanding contributions to the IIHF and international ice hockey”. The IIHF includes the recipients of the Torriani Award in the list of Hall of Fame inductees. The award was named for Bibi Torriani, who played internationally for the Switzerland men’s national ice hockey team. The approval came exactly 89 years from the foundation of the IIHF, with the purpose of honoring former international ice hockey players, builders (administrators) and officials.

The Canadians had boycotted these tournaments between 1970 and 1976 after the IIHF had refused to allow them to roster professional players at the World Championships from NHL teams that had not qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The IIHF maintains the IIHF World Ranking based on international ice hockey tournaments. Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team’s minutes, are included in this list. Seeding in the preliminary round was based on the 2025 IIHF World Ranking (at the end of the 2025 IIHF World Championship), using the serpentine system „to allocate a maximum of two teams to separate groups”. Switzerland was originally slated to host in 2020 but the tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, while Kazakhstan has not hosted any tournaments. The IIHF chose all-time teams for the 16 countries that would have participated at the 2020 IIHF World Championship, to honor the 100-year anniversary of the Ice Hockey World Championships.

The IIHF faced international backlash for conducting the 2014 Men’s Ice Hockey World Championships in Belarus, primarily due to the country’s poor human rights history. A compromise was reached by President Sabetzki, allowing Canada to return to international events starting in 1977. The inception of the competition was the brainchild of Günther Sabetzki (inspired by the European Cup of Association football), now known as the UEFA Champions League. The controversy revolved around the boycott by Canada and the United States of the 1957 championships in Moscow, as well as the Americans’ refusal to accept East German passports in response to the construction of the Berlin Wall by East Germany.

The 1928 Winter Olympics — which also served as the World and European Championship for the year, saw a record 11 countries participate. The president is assisted by the general secretary — the highest-ranked IIHF employee. The president represents the IIHF’s interests in external matters and enforces the federation’s statutes and regulations.

Since 2017, the IIHF has sanctioned the IIHF Development Cup for developing men’s and women’s national teams that do not qualify to compete in the IIHF World Championships. The IIHF established male and female player of the year awards in 2023 (to be given annually in recognition of the player who „best exemplifies exceptional skill), determination, team success, and sporting character on and off the ice during the preceding season”. The first step taken by the IIHF to create its own hall of fame was a proposal made in 1996 — which was later ratified at the 1997 IIHF summer congress to host the museum in Zürich. On 28 February 2022 — the IIHF suspended the memberships of the Russian and Belarusian ice hockey federations until further notice due to the countries’ invasion of Ukraine. As part of the celebrations, the 2008 World Championship was held in Canada for the first time (the tournament was co-hosted by the cities of Halifax and Quebec City).