The International Ice Hockey Federation has released a ranking of the strength of the teams competing at this year's World Cup. The corresponding list was published on the organization's official website.
As the reigning world champion, this year's tournament will begin with the USA team, which defeated Switzerland 1:0 in overtime in the final last year. After that, the American hockey players became the winners of the 2026 Olympic Games, defeating the Canadian team in the final.
Suspilne Sport is the official broadcaster of the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Watch the matches live on the Suspilne Sport TV channel and website, as well as local Suspilne channels.
Despite this, it was the Canadian team that topped the elite division team rankings ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Last year's World Cup finalists Switzerland came in second, while the reigning world and Olympic champions, the United States, took fifth place.
IIHF national team strength rating
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Finland
- Sweden
- USA
- Czech Republic
- Germany
- Slovakia
- Latvia
- Denmark
- Austria
- Norway
- Hungary
- Slovenia
- Great Britain
- Italy
This year's World Championship will be held from May 15 to 31 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland.