2026 IIHF World U18 Championship Division III
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries |  Hong Kong Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Venues | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Dates | 2–8 March 2026 (A) 13–19 February 2026 (B) |
| Teams | 12 |
The 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division III consists of two international under-18 ice hockey tournaments organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Divisions III A and III B represent the sixth and the seventh tier of the IIHF World U18 Championship.
Division III A
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Hong Kong |
| City | Hong Kong |
| Venue | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Dates | 2–8 March 2026 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Official website | |
| www.iihf.com | |
The Division III Group A tournament will be played in Hong Kong, China, from 2 to 8 March 2026.[1][2]
Participating teams
| Team | Qualification |
|---|---|
 Bulgaria |
Placed 6th in Division II B last year and were relegated |
 Turkey |
Placed 2nd in Division III A last year |
 Israel |
Placed 3rd in Division III A last year |
| Hong Kong |
Hosts; placed 4th in Division III A last year |
 New Zealand |
Placed 5th in Division III A last year |
 Uzbekistan |
Placed 1st in Division III B last year and were promoted |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulgaria
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Promotion to the 2027 Division II B |
| 2 | Turkey
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Israel
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Hong Kong (H)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | New Zealand
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Uzbekistan
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to the 2027 Division III B |
First match(es) will be played: 2 March 2026. Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host
Match results
All times are local (Hong Kong Time; UTC+8).
| 2 March 2026 13:00 | Israel | v | Bulgaria | DB Ice Rink |
| 2 March 2026 16:30 | Turkey | v | New Zealand | DB Ice Rink |
| 2 March 2026 20:30 | Uzbekistan | v | Hong Kong | DB Ice Rink |
| 3 March 2026 13:00 | Turkey | v | Israel | DB Ice Rink |
| 3 March 2026 16:30 | New Zealand | v | Uzbekistan | DB Ice Rink |
| 3 March 2026 20:30 | Bulgaria | v | Hong Kong | DB Ice Rink |
| 5 March 2026 13:00 | Bulgaria | v | New Zealand | DB Ice Rink |
| 5 March 2026 16:30 | Turkey | v | Uzbekistan | DB Ice Rink |
| 5 March 2026 20:30 | Israel | v | Hong Kong | DB Ice Rink |
| 6 March 2026 13:00 | Uzbekistan | v | Bulgaria | DB Ice Rink |
| 6 March 2026 16:30 | New Zealand | v | Israel | DB Ice Rink |
| 6 March 2026 20:30 | Hong Kong | v | Turkey | DB Ice Rink |
| 8 March 2026 13:00 | Israel | v | Uzbekistan | DB Ice Rink |
| 8 March 2026 16:30 | Bulgaria | v | Turkey | DB Ice Rink |
| 8 March 2026 20:30 | Hong Kong | v | New Zealand | DB Ice Rink |
Source: Match schedule
Division III B
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| City | Sarajevo |
| Venue | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Dates | 13–19 February 2026 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 9 |
| Goals scored | 79 (8.78 per game) |
| Attendance | 1,110 (123 per game) |
| Scoring leader |  Theetachthan Luang-On (10 points) |
| Official website | |
| www.iihf.com | |
The Division III Group B tournament is being played in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 13 to 19 February 2026.[3][4]
This tournament is played under a new format. The teams were divided into two groups of three using the serpentine system. In the group stage, each team from Group A face all three opponents from Group B, and vice versa. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, which will be played as A1 vs. A2, and B1 vs. B2.[5]
Participating teams
| Team | Qualification |
|---|---|
 Iceland |
Placed 6th in Division III A last year and were relegated |
| Thailand |
Placed 2nd in Division III B last year |
 Turkmenistan |
Placed 3rd in Division III B last year |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Hosts; placed 4th in Division III B last year |
 South Africa |
Placed 5th in Division III B last year |
 Luxembourg |
placed 6th in Division III B last year |
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 6 | +13 | 6 | Semifinals |
| 2 | Bosnia and Herzegovina (H)
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 18 | −5 | 5 | |
| 3 | South Africa
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 3 | Relegation round |
Updated to match(es) played on 16 February 2026. Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) total goals; 4) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) total goals; 4) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thailand
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 7 | +13 | 9 | Semifinals |
| 2 | Turkmenistan
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 3 | |
| 3 | Luxembourg
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 26 | −16 | 1 | Relegation round |
Updated to match(es) played on 14 February 2026. Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) total goals; 4) seeding before tournament.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) total goals; 4) seeding before tournament.
Match results
All times are local (Central European Time; UTC+1).
| 13 February 2026 12:30 | South Africa | 3–4 (1–1, 1–2, 1–1) | Turkmenistan | Skenderija Sports Arena Attendance: 50 |
| Game reference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 min | Penalties | 8 min | ||
| 33 | Shots | 32 | ||
| 13 February 2026 16:00 | Luxembourg | 1–12 (0–2, 0–4, 1–6) | Iceland | Skenderija Sports Arena Attendance: 50 |
| Game reference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 min | Penalties | 30 min | ||
| 8 | Shots | 61 | ||
| 13 February 2026 19:30 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3–12 (0–4, 2–2, 1–6) | Thailand | Skenderija Sports Arena Attendance: 250 |
| Game reference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 min | Penalties | 18 min | ||
| 25 | Shots | 36 | ||
| 14 February 2026 12:30 | Iceland | 5–1 (3–0, 2–1, 0–0) | Turkmenistan | Skenderija Sports Arena Attendance: 50 |
| Game reference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 min | Penalties | 18 min | ||
| 55 | Shots | 21 | ||
| 14 February 2026 16:00 | Thailand | 4–2 (2–0, 1–1, 1–1) | South Africa | Skenderija Sports Arena Attendance: 50 |
| Game reference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 min | Penalties | 14 min | ||
| 43 | Shots | 19 | ||
| 14 February 2026 19:30 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 7–6 OT (5–0, 0–3, 1–3) (OT: 1–0) | Luxembourg | Skenderija Sports Arena Attendance: 300 |
| Game reference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 min | Penalties | 8 min | ||
| 33 | Shots | 33 | ||
| 16 February 2026 12:30 | South Africa | 7–3 (1–2, 2–0, 4–1) | Luxembourg | Skenderija Sports Arena Attendance: 30 |
| Game reference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 min | Penalties | 14 min | ||
| 39 | Shots | 19 | ||
| 16 February 2026 16:00 | Iceland | 2–4 (1–1, 0–1, 1–2) | Thailand | Skenderija Sports Arena Attendance: 30 |
| Game reference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 min | Penalties | 10 min | ||
| 32 | Shots | 25 | ||
| 16 February 2026 19:30 | Turkmenistan | 0–3 (0–0, 0–1, 0–2 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Skenderija Sports Arena |
| Game reference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 min | Penalties | 6 min | ||
| 21 | Shots | 49 | ||
Playoffs
| Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
| A1 | Iceland
| ||||||||
| A2 | Bosnia and Herzegovina
| ||||||||
| WSF1 | |||||||||
| WSF2 | |||||||||
| B1 | Thailand
| ||||||||
| B2 | Turkmenistan
| Bronze medal game | |||||||
| LSF1 | |||||||||
| LSF2 | |||||||||
Relegation round
| 18 February 2026 12:30 | South Africa | v | Luxembourg | Skenderija Sports Arena |
| 19 February 2026 12:30 | Luxembourg | v | South Africa | Skenderija Sports Arena |
Semifinals
| 18 February 2026 16:00 | Thailand | v | Turkmenistan | Skenderija Sports Arena |
| 18 February 2026 19:30 | Iceland | v | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Skenderija Sports Arena |
Bronze medal game
| 19 February 2026 16:00 | LSF1 | v | LSF2 | Skenderija Sports Arena |
Final
| 19 February 2026 19:30 | WSF1 | v | WSF2 | Skenderija Sports Arena |
Source: Match schedule
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Champions / Promotion to 2027 Division III A |
| 2 | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Runners-up |
| 3 | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Third place |
| 4 | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fourth place |
| 5 | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Avoided relegation |
| 6 | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation |
Source: IIHF
References
- ^ 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division III A official website, www.iihf.com
- ^ 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division III A statistics, stats.iihf.com
- ^ 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division III B official website, www.iihf.com
- ^ 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship Division III B statistics, stats.iihf.com
- ^ "IIHF to trial new format for lower division tournaments". www.iihf.com.
Current champions (2025): .svg.png){kind=small} Canada | |
| 2025 Championship teams | |
| Championships |
|
| Division I | |
| Division II | |
| Division III | |
| |
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