| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Switzerland |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Dates | 16 April – 2 May |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
Champions  |  Soviet Union (22nd title) |
Runner-up  |  Sweden |
Third place  |  Czechoslovakia |
| Fourth place |  Canada |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 40 |
| Goals scored | 276 (6.9 per game) |
| Attendance | 250,309 (6,258 per game) |
| Scoring leader(s) | Steve Yzerman 19 points |
The 1990 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 54th such event sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), and at the same time served as the 65th Ice Hockey European Championships. Teams representing 28 countries participated in several levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for group placements in the 1991 competition.
The top Championship Group A tournament took place in Switzerland from 16 April to 2 May 1990, with games played in Bern and Fribourg. Eight teams took part, with each team playing each other once. The four best teams then played each other once more. The Soviet Union became world champions for the 22nd and last time, and Sweden won their tenth European title. In the European Championships, only matches between European teams in the first round were counted towards scoring.
Group B saw East Germany participate in the World Championships for the final time.