 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Switzerland |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Dates | 1–17 May |
| Opened by | Flavio Cotti |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
Champions  |  Sweden (7th title) |
Runner-up  |  Finland |
Third place  |  Czech Republic |
| Fourth place | Switzerland |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 49 |
| Goals scored | 276 (5.63 per game) |
| Scoring leader(s) | Peter Forsberg (11 pts) |
The 1998 IIHF World Championship was held in Switzerland from 1–17 May 1998. The format expanded to 16 teams for the first time. The teams were divided into four groups of four with the top two teams in each advancing to the next round. The two groups of four then played a round robin with the top two teams in each moving on to the semi-finals. The semi-finals were a two-game total goals for series as was the final.