The 2012 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships is the 76th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation

International Ice Hockey Federation

The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...

. Teams representing 46 countries will participate in four levels of competition. The competition will also serve as qualifications for the 2013 competition.

Championship

The Championship will take place between sixteen teams from May 4 to May 20, 2012. Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 and Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 will host the event with games being played in Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

 and Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

.
Group A
— promoted to Championship pool for 2012

Group B — promoted to Championship pool for 2012

Division I

The Division I competition will take place from April 15 to April 21, 2012. Group A games will be played in Ljubljana

Ljubljana

Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...

, Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

 and Group B will be played in Krynica-Zdrój, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

.
Group A — relegated to Division I for 2012 — relegated to Division I for 2012

Group B — promoted to Division I for 2012 — promoted to Division I for 2012

Division II

The Division II competition is being held in two groups. Group A games will be played from April 12 to 18, 2012 in Reykjavík

Reykjavík

Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...

, Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

 and Group B will be played from April 2 to 8, 2012 in Sofia

Sofia

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...

, Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

.
Group A — relegated to Division II for 2012 — relegated to Division II for 2012

Group B — promoted to Division II for 2012 — promoted to Division II for 2012

Division III

The Division III competition will take place from April 15 to April 21, 2012 in Erzurum

Erzurum

Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...

, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

.
— relegated to Division III for 2012 — relegated to Division III for 2012

See also

• 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
  2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
  - Group B :All round robin games held in Edmonton, Alberta at Rexall Place.All times local - Relegation round :All times local - Final round :-Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:-Fifth place game:-Bronze medal game:...
  
  
• 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships
  2012 IIHF World U18 Championships
  - Group B :All games are being played at Znojmo.- Relegation round :All times are local .- Final round :All times are local .-Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:-Fifth place game:-Bronze medal game:-Final:...
  
  

External links

• International Ice Hockey Federation