2022 IIHF World Championship Division I

Main article: 2022 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships
2022 IIHF World Championship
Division I
Tournament details
Host countries Slovenia
 Poland
Venue(s)2 (in 2 host cities)
Dates3–8 May
26 April – 1 May
Teams10
← 2021 (cancelled)
2023 →

The 2022 IIHF World Championship Division I was an international ice hockey tournament run by the International Ice Hockey Federation.

The Group A tournament was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia from 3 to 8 May and the Group B tournament in Tychy, Poland from 26 April to 1 May 2022.[1][2]

After the tournament was cancelled the two previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all teams were set to remain in their groups for the 2022 edition.[3] However, France and Austria, who were relegated to Division IA in 2019, were called back up to the top division to replace Russia and Belarus, who were suspended by the IIHF during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Lithuania, who were relegated to Division IB in 2019, were called back up to Division IA so that there would be an equal number of teams in each group.[4]

Slovenia got promoted to the Top Division by winning the Group A tournament alongside Hungary.[5][6] Poland won the Group B tournament and got promoted.[7] Following the tournament, the IIHF decided not to relegate Romania or Serbia, who finished last in groups A and B respectively, in order for the division to fill up to its normal amount of twelve teams (six in each group).[8]

  1. ^ "U18 Worlds in Germany". International Ice Hockey Federation. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Tournaments". International Ice Hockey Federation. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  3. ^ Steiss, Adam (18 November 2020). "IIHF Council announces more cancellations". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Tournament updates". 18 March 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Speedy Slovenia wins Division I". International Ice Hockey Federation. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Bronze for Lithuania moves up Hungary". International Ice Hockey Federation. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Gold for Poland!". International Ice Hockey Federation. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  8. ^ "IIHF - To Tampere/Riga in '23; to Switzerland in '26". International Ice Hockey Federation. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.