Photo: Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine
A remarkable achievement for Ukrainian hockey.
The Ukraine national ice hockey team has secured promotion to the elite division of the Ice Hockey World Championship after a strong campaign in the Division IA tournament.
In the final round of the championship, Ukraine defeated Japan 3–1, while Poland failed to secure a regulation-time win against Lithuania. As a result, Ukraine clinched one of the two promotion spots to the top tier of world hockey.
Ukraine finished the tournament in second place overall, behind only Kazakhstan. The two best teams earned promotion to the elite division, while the last-placed team was relegated to Division IB.
During the tournament, Ukraine lost to Poland (2–3) and Kazakhstan (in a shootout), but recorded victories over Lithuania (2–1), France (3–2), and Japan (3–1).
This marks Ukraine’s return to the top division for the first time since 2007, where the team will now face hockey powerhouses such as Canada, the United States, Finland, Sweden, and others.
The 2027 Ice Hockey World Championship elite division will take place in Germany from May 14 to May 30 next year.
