The IIHF traditionally holds its Annual Congress during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, and this year was no exception. Representatives of 75 Member National Associations gathered at the Waterfront Conference Center, overlooking the famous Stockholm City Hall. Another five delegates participated digitally.  

Congress had a long list of items to discuss during its two days of meetings, everything from approving the budget to allocating championships to adjusting the Rule Book. Congress also heard reports on the Global Hockey Forum, minimum participation standards audits, and an update on both the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships and the Olympic Winter Games in Milan.  

IIHF President Luc Tardif opened the Congress with a moment of silence for those who passed away during the season. Tardif then gave his report on key topics, including World Cup negotiations, IIHF TV, and growth initiatives. 

“Alone you go faster; together you go farther,” he explained.

Tournament updates 

Slovakia was the lone candidate to apply for the 2029 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, and their bid to host the tournament in Bratislava and Kosice was voted through. That means that the upcoming men’s tournament calendar looks like this:
 

• 2026: Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland 
• 2027: Düsseldorf and Mannheim, Germany 
• 2028: Paris and Lyon, France 
• 2029: Bratislava and Kosice, Slovakia 

As for the 2026 tournament, Swiss General Secretary Christian Hofstetter gave an update on the preparations, introduced the two arenas in Zurich and Fribourg—and provided a report on how the tournament will look and feel.

The semi-finals and medal games will be played in Zurich’s arena which has a seating capacity of 9,800. The tournament’s slogan will be “Time to Shine.” 

Other championships for the 2025-26 season were also awarded during Congress: 

IIHF Men’s World Championship
 

• Division I, Group A, Sosnowiec, Poland 
• Division I, Group B, Shenzhen, China
• Division II, Group A,Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
• Division II, Group B, Sofia, Bulgaria
• Division III, Group A, Cape Town, South Africa
• Division III, Group B, Hong Kong, China

  IIHF Women’s World Championship 
 

• Division I, Group A, Budapest, Hungary
• Division I, Group B, Puigcerda, Spain
• Division II, Group A, Bled, Slovenia
• Division II, Group B, Hong Kong, China
• Division III, Group A, Zagreb, Croatia
• Division III, Group B, Kohtla-Jarve, Estonia 

  IIHF U20 World Championship  
 

• Division I, Group A, Bled, Slovenia
• Division I, Group B, Milan, Italy
• Division II, Group A, Bucharest, Romania
• Division II, Group B,Belgrade, Serbia 
• Division III, Group A, Sofia, Bulgaria 
• Division III, Group B, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan 

  IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship  
 

•  Division I, Group A, Krynica, Poland
• Division I, Group B, Tallinn, Estonia
• Division II, Group A, Targu Secuiesc, Romania
• Division II, Group B, Belgrade, Serbia
• Division III, Group A, Hong Kong, China
• Division III, Group A, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

  IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship  
 

• Division I, Group A, To Be Determined
• Division I, Group B, Katowice, Poland
• Division II, Group A, Istanbul, Türkiye
• Division II, Group B, To Be Determined
• Division III, Bangkok, Thailand  

Growth Initiatives

The IIHF will organize a Global Hockey Forum in Nice, France this fall. The event will focus on three pillars: development of the game, marketing, and women’s hockey. Member National Associations were encouraged to send a representative to each of the three forum paths.  

“Bring the people who will go back and work on these issues,” suggested IIHF Vice President Bob Nicholson.  

The IIHF will also start a European Cup of Nations to ensure that all national teams can play meaningful games during European international breaks. Twelve Member National Associations will participate.  

Additionally, delegates were encouraged to apply for the Sustainability Award.  

Congress was also informed that IIHF TV was successfully launched in April, and it already has 350’000 registrations.  

“IIHF TV, which we have created in cooperation with our commercial partners, gives hockey fans around the world the chance to see every Ice Hockey World Championship game, on every level,” President Tardif enthused of the important initiative.

Development Support Gets an Upgrade

IIHF development support, worth almost $9 million in 2025, has previously been based solely on a program’s results in the men’s Ice Hockey World Championships, and about 95 percent of that support has been allocated only to teams in the top division.

The distribution model has been changed. To make it more equitable, the distribution model will be based on the program’s performance across five tournaments: Men’s and Women’s World Championships, Men’s World Junior Championship/U20, and Men’s and Women’s U18 tournaments. Furthermore, the support will be weighted according to IIHF World Ranking. 

“If the men’s and women’s programs are as strong, there will be no real impact. If the women’s program is stronger than the men’s, there will be an increase in the support,” Director General Matti Nurminen explained during his presentation.

Rule Book 

Congress approved several minor modifications to the Rule Book. For example, a penalty call for shooting the puck out of play can now be challenged. The skirt of the net next to the goal posts will have to be transparent in the future. This rule will be grandfathered in. In addition, a linesperson can stop play if a goaltender plays the puck outside the trapezoid.

IIHF President Tardif closed Congress by thanking all the delegates for their work. He also reiterated the importance of democratic decision-making, even if it means that Council sometimes has “long and tough discussions.

The next IIHF Semi-Annual Congress will be held in Nice, France, on 3-4 October 2025, right after the Global Hockey Forum.