IIHF Explainer

If you've followed the PWHL or the Olympics, you've probably heard commentators mention the IIHF, Division IA, promotion and relegation, or world rankings. But what exactly is the IIHF, and how does international hockey work?

With the Women's World Championship coming up this November, now is the perfect time to get caught up.

What is the IIHF?

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is an international sports organization that runs tournaments to promote international competition and the development of ice hockey around the world.

Think of the IIHF as the international governing body for hockey, while organizations like USA Hockey and Hockey Canada govern the sport within their own countries.

As of writing this article, the IIHF lists 84 member nations. Seeing 84 member nations really added perspective for me. Hockey isn't just happening in Canada, the United States, and northern Europe anymore. There are national programs in places like Thailand, Singapore, Mexico, South Africa, and the Philippines—all working to grow the game.

The Tier List

With so many member nations in the IIHF, it naturally follows that there needs to be a way to organize all of these countries in a way that is competitive and equitable. This is where the divisions and groups come in.

First, I want to clarify that this article is focused on the women's side of things. The divisions and tournament formats can differ on the men's side, and there are also additional age group tournaments. This article will focus on the Women's World Championship divisions and how teams move between them.

At the top of the tier list is the Top Division. The Top Division consists of the ten national teams competing in the IIHF Women's World Championship. As of writing this article, the teams competing in November are:

• United States
• Canada
• Czechia
• Switzerland
• Finland
• Sweden
• Germany
• Japan
• Austria
• Denmark

Promotion and relegation determine which countries play at this level each year, rather than the IIHF World Ranking.

Here are some key things to know about the Top Division:

• Canada and the United States have historically occupied the top two spots in women's hockey. There are exceptions to this (which are some really exciting and fun stories to write about another time!).
• The European teams make up the middle of the division and have the most movement within these rankings. For the most part, Finland, Sweden, and Switzerland have traditionally occupied the higher positions, often earning bronze medals. Czechia has been a rising power over the last decade and had a major showing at the Milan-Cortina Olympics despite not medaling.
• Japan has established itself as one of the world's top women's hockey nations over the last decade, usually finishing near the bottom of the Top Division but consistently earning its place there. Japan is actually one of the most interesting national teams in my opinion because it has a physical size disadvantage compared to most other Top Division teams, and its players have limited exposure to elite competition outside the IIHF. Teams like Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and Germany all have domestic professional leagues that expose their players to competition closer to the PWHL level. Despite these contrasts, Japan earned promotion after winning Division IA in 2017 and has competed in the Top Division in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, finishing as high as 5th in 2022.

Beyond the Top Division, there's a lot more structure in place to keep all of the member nations competitive. The tiers are broken down into Divisions I, II, and III, with each division split into Groups A and B. Year to year, teams move between these divisions through the promotion and relegation system, which I'll explain next.

If you're interested in the complete Women's World Championship pyramid as of this writing, I've included the full list of divisions at the bottom of the article.

The list spans every continent except Antarctica, which I think is incredible. The sport of ice hockey is certainly alive and well around the world.

The level of play across these divisions is still very widespread. For the most part, the PWHL only features players from the Top Division. Division I is largely made up of nations that have participated internationally for a long time but are still trying to break into the Top Division. Division II generally consists of nations that are continuing to develop their hockey programs, while Division III features countries that are relatively new to the sport or simply don't yet have the resources to develop as much talent domestically.

Based on the current tournament structure, it also appears that a Division IV will be added beginning in 2027.

Promotion and Relegation

One of the IIHF's core missions is to grow the game around the world. To do that, countries need to play against opponents of a similar level while still being challenged to improve.

That means teams need to be able to move up and down the tiers as they grow, or decline, to remain competitive.

While the exact promotion and relegation rules can change from year to year, generally the top one or two teams from each Division/Group tournament move up to the next level the following year. Likewise, the bottom one or two teams move down.

This is why Hungary competed in the Top Division last year but was relegated to Division IA this year, where it finished second behind France. This year, only France will be promoted. After the Women's World Championship in November, the bottom team from that tournament will be relegated to Division IA, while France will take its place in next year's Top Division.

To further illustrate the system, Poland finished first in Division IIA this year, so next year it will compete in Division IB, while Spain will move back down to Division IIA.

It is fairly common to see countries bounce between divisions for several years before finding a stable place. That's simply part of the growth pattern for many national programs.

Tournaments

To facilitate international competition, each division and group hosts one tournament every year.

The lower divisions play earlier in the calendar year, with the Women's World Championship serving as the culmination of the season. As of writing this article, every tournament has already been played except for the Women's World Championship in November.

Just as one example, the Division IA World Championship was held in Budapest, Hungary, in April, where France earned promotion by winning the tournament.

Lower division tournaments typically use a single round robin format, where every team plays every other team once, and the best record earns promotion.

The Women's World Championship is a bit different. The tournament begins with a round robin split into two groups of five teams. It then transitions into a playoff bracket, with the top four teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the bottom team from each group plays a relegation game to determine who remains in the Top Division and who is relegated to Division IA.

The Women's World Championship is in Denmark this year and should be a riveting follow up to the Olympics earlier this year. Finland will be looking for another chance to perform at the level we've come to expect after battling a norovirus outbreak during the Olympics. The United States and Canada also played an unforgettable overtime gold medal game, and I'm fairly certain we'll see another heated rematch at this year's World Championship.

Beyond its World Championships, the IIHF also supports regional tournaments.

The IIHF Women's Asian Championship gives Asian nations additional opportunities for international competition between World Championships and has become increasingly important as countries like Japan, China, Korea, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines continue to grow the women's game.

These tournaments are focused on development and providing exposure to stronger competition for nations that might not otherwise have those opportunities. Japan's Top Division experience has been evident in the results, with the team comfortably winning the tournament in each of the past two years. However, year over year, the results have also shown the steady improvement of the lower division teams, highlighting the true purpose of tournaments like these.

Final Thoughts

I hope this serves as a good introduction to the IIHF and international women's hockey.

If you've been following the PWHL over the last year, this November's Women's World Championship will not disappoint.

If you're a Victoire fan, get excited to watch 2026 first round pick Petra Nieminen show why she has been the SDHL's top scorer. If you're a Sirens fan, you'll get to see why Elisa Holopainen was such a steal in the second round or watch Kristýna Kaltounková represent her national team once again.

I promise there's something for every fan to enjoy, whether it's seeing your favorite PWHL players compete on a different stage, discovering future phenoms from across the world, or watching decades-old international rivalries play out.

Tune in on November 6!

If there are certain teams or IIHF concepts you'd like to hear more about, I'd love to hear from you.

iceatlashockey@gmail.com

Women's World Championship Divisions

Division I

Group A

• France
• Hungary
• Italy
• Slovakia
• Norway
• China

Group B

• Netherlands
• Great Britain
• Kazakhstan
• Korea
• Latvia
• Spain (their first season in Division I)

Division II

Group A

• Poland
• Slovenia
• Chinese Taipei
• Australia
• Iceland

Group B

• Hong Kong, China
• Lithuania
• Ukraine
• New Zealand
• Mexico
• Belgium

Division III

Group A

• Romania
• Thailand
• Turkey
• Croatia
• Serbia
• Bulgaria

Group B

• Estonia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• South Africa
• Israel
• Philippines
• Singapore