The 2006 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 70th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 45 countries participated in four levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for division placements in the 2007 competition. In the Division I Championship held in April, Germany and Austria were promoted to the Championship division while Israel and Croatia were demoted to Division II. In the Division II competition, Romania and China were promoted, South Africa and New Zealand were relegated to Division III. In the Division III competition, Iceland and Turkey were promoted to Division II for 2007.
The 2006 IIHF World Championship was held in Latvia between May 5 and May 21, 2006, with events being held in Riga. Sweden won the championship with a 4–0 victory in the final against the Czech Republic.