Upcoming season or competition: 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships | |
 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| First season | 1974 (unofficial) 1977 (official) |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Most recent champions |  United States(7th title) (2025) |
| Most titles |  Canada(20 titles) |
| Relegation to | Division I Division II Division III |
| Official website | IIHF.com |
TheIIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), sometimes referred to asWorld Juniors, is an annual event organized by theInternational Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20ice hockey teams from around the world. It is traditionally held in late December, ending in early January (beginning fromBoxing Day to January 5). The tournament usually attracts the top hockey players in this age category.
The main tournament features the top ten ranked hockey nations in the world, comprising the 'Top Division', from which a world champion is crowned. There are also three lower pools—Divisions I, II and III—that each play separate tournaments playing for the right to bepromoted to a higher pool, or facerelegation to a lower pool.
The competition's profile is particularly high in Canada, and this is partly for historical reasons because prior to NHL players being allowed in theWinter Olympics, this was a rare tournament where the best western players faced the best players from theSoviet Bloc, and the only other tournament of similar stature where this occurred was the irregularly scheduledCanada Cup for senior sides. The tournament's stature in Canada can also be credited to Canada's strong performance in the tournament (it has won the gold medal twenty times since its inception), the role of hockey inCanadian culture, along with strong media coverage and fan attendance. As such, in recent years, nearly half of the tournaments have been held in Canadian cities, with the remainder being held in Europe and the United States.
TheUnited States is the defending champion, having defeatedFinland to win the2025 edition inOttawa,Canada.
The first official tournament was held in 1977, although the first three tournaments were held unofficially from 1974 to 1976.[1] The tournament has been dominated by the teams fromCanada andSoviet Union/CIS/Russia, together accounting for 33 of the 49 overall gold medals awarded (through 2025). The USSR won the first four official tournaments, while the Canadians put together five straight championships between 1993 and1997, and another five straight from2005 to2009. Canada leads the all-time gold medal count with 20 golds, while the Soviet Union, the CIS, and Russia combined have 13 golds.
When it began, the World Junior Championship was a relatively obscure tournament. It has since grown in prestige, particularly inCanada, where the tournament ranks as one of the most important events on the sports calendar and during theholiday season.The Globe and Mail writer Bruce Dowbiggin creditsTSN, along with Canada's strong performance at the tournament, for turning it from an obscure non-event when it acquired the rights in 1991 (which had started to grow in prominence due to the 1987Punch-up in Piestany) to one of Canada's most beloved annual sports events, and at the same time cementing the link betweenCanadian nationalism and hockey, and inspiring the NHL'sWinter Classic.[2][3] Based on increasing attendances for countries repeatedly hosting the event, the popularity of the tournament seems to be growing in other nations as well.
At editions of the tournament held in the country, games involving Team Canada consistently sell out NHL arenas, offering large profit guarantees toHockey Canada and the IIHF.[4] In the 21st century, Canada has and will continue to host the tournament every second or third year due to the significantly greater following the tournament has in Canada compared to other participating countries.Originally, Switzerland was selected to host the WJHC in 2010, but withdrew.[5]Buffalo, New York, in the United States, hosted the tournament in 2011 and 2018; in both cases, proximity to Canada's population core inSouthern Ontario was a key factor to the city winning the bidding rights.[6]
The tournament offers one of the most prestigious stages for young hockey players, significantly boosting a player's value for upcomingNHL Entry Drafts.[3]
One of the most infamous incidents in WJC history occurred in 1987 inPiestany,Czechoslovakia (now part ofSlovakia), where a bench-clearingbrawl occurred betweenCanada and theSoviet Union. It began when the Soviet Union's Pavel Kostichkin took a two-handed slash at Canadian playerTheoren Fleury. The Soviet Union'sEvgeny Davydov then came off the bench, eventually leading to both benches emptying. Theofficials, unable to break up the numerous fights, left the ice and eventually tried shutting off the arena lights, but the brawl lasted for 20 minutes before the IIHF declared the game null and void. A 35-minute emergency meeting was held, resulting in the delegates voting 7–1 (the sole dissenter was Canadian Dennis McDonald) to eject both teams from the tournament. The Canadian team chose to leave rather than stay for the end-of-tournament dinner, from which the Soviet team was banned.
While the Soviets were out of medal contention, Canada was playing for the gold medal and was leading 4–2 at the time of the brawl. The gold medal ultimately went to Finland, hosts Czechoslovakia took the silver and Sweden, who had previously been eliminated from medal contention, was awarded the bronze.[7]
The winners by season listed below.
| Year |  Gold |  Silver |  Bronze | 4th place | Host city (cities) | Host country (countries) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 |  Soviet Union |  Finland | Canada |  Sweden | Leningrad | Soviet Union |
| 1975 | Soviet Union | Canada | Sweden |  Czechoslovakia | Winnipeg andBrandon Minneapolis,Bloomington andFargo | Canada United States |
| 1976 | Soviet Union | Canada | Czechoslovakia | Finland | Tampere,Turku,Pori andRauma | Finland |
The unofficial tournaments held prior to 1977 are not included in this table.
Countries initalics no longer compete at the World Championships.
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Medals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 20 | 10 | 5 | 35 |
 Russia Soviet Union CISTotal | 4 8 1 13 | 10 3 0 13 | 9 2 0 11 | 23 13 1 37 |
| United States | 7 | 2 | 7 | 16 |
| Finland | 5 | 6 | 7 | 18 |
| Sweden | 2 | 12 | 7 | 21 |
| Czechia Czechoslovakia Total | 2 0 2 | 1 5 6 | 3 6 9 | 6 11 17 |
 Slovakia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 49 | 49 | 49 | 147 |
These tournaments have been announced:
| Year | Host city (cities) | Host country |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Minneapolis andSaint Paul[18] | United States |
| 2027 | Edmonton andRed Deer[19] | Canada |
| 2028 | TBD | Finland |
| 2029 | Quebec City andTrois-Rivières[20] | Canada |
The IIHF announced that Canada will host the tournament every other year until their agreement with Hockey Canada runs out in 2034.[21]
| Host country | Tournaments[22] |
|---|---|
| Canada | 18[23] |
| Finland | 7 |
| Sweden | 7 |
| United States | 7[24] |
| Czechia Czechoslovakia Total | 4 2[25] 6 |
| Russia Soviet Union CIS Total | 2 3 0 5 |
 Germany West GermanyTotal | 1 1 2 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
Canada, Finland, Sweden, and Czechoslovakia/Czechia have participated in all 44 IIHF Ice Hockey World Junior Championships as well as the three unofficial tournaments. The United States has participated in all except the unofficial tournament in1976. The USSR/CIS/Russia participated in all tournaments until the 2022 edition (having been suspended by the IIHF in February 2022 as a result of theRussian invasion of Ukraine).[26]
When Czechoslovakiapeacefully split in 1993, Czechia remained in Pool A but Slovakia was placed in Pool C (now Division II). Slovakia was promoted to the top division for the1996 Championships and has remained there since.
When theSoviet Union broke up, Russia remained in Pool A, while all other former Soviet republics started competing in Pool C in 1993.
Starting with the 1996 tournament, the competition was increased from an 8-team round-robin to the current 10-team format, including elimination rounds. Since then, Switzerland has become a regular participant.
Germany has been a frequent participant in the top pool, having played there roughly half the time in the past decade. Latvia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan have also each made a number of top division appearances since the early 1990s. Less frequent top pool appearances have been made by Austria, Denmark, France, Japan, Norway, Poland and Ukraine.
At the most recent championship, held in Canada in2025, participating teams were Canada, Czechia, Finland, Germany, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
| Team | Appearances[22] | Most recent year in Top Division |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 52[27] | 2025 |
| Czechia / Czechoslovakia | 52[27] | 2025 |
| Finland | 52[27] | 2025 |
| Sweden | 52[27] | 2025 |
| United States | 51[28] | 2025 |
| Russia / Soviet Union / CIS | 48[27] | 2021 |
| Switzerland | 38 | 2025 |
| Germany / West Germany | 31 | 2025 |
| Slovakia | 30 | 2025 |
 Latvia | 9 | 2025 |
 Kazakhstan | 9 | 2025 |
 Norway | 9 | 2024 |
 Belarus | 8 | 2018 |
 Denmark | 7 | 2019 |
 Austria | 6 | 2023 |
 Poland | 6 | 1997 |
 Ukraine | 4 | 2004 |
 France | 1 | 2002 |
 Japan | 1 | 1993 |
As of 2025 tournament
A player is eligible to play in the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships if:[29]
If a player who has never played in IIHF-organized competition wishes to switch national eligibility, he must have played in competitions for two consecutive years in the new country without playing in another country, as well as show his move to the new country's national association with an international transfer card. In case the player has previously played in IIHF-organized competition but wishes to switch national eligibility, he must have played in competitions for four consecutive years in the new country without playing in another country, he must show his move to the new country's national association with an international transfer card, as well as be a citizen of the new country. A player may only switch national eligibility once.[30]
At the conclusion of each tournament, the Directorate of the IIHF presents awards to the Top Goalie, Forward, and Defenceman of the tournament. The media attending the event select an All-Star team separately from this.
The following television networks and websites broadcast World Junior Championship games on television or online.
| Country | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|
| Canada | The Sports Network Réseau des sports |
| Czechia | ČT Sport |
| Europe | Eurosport |
| Finland | TV5 |
| Latvia | TV6 |
| Russia | Match TV Channel One Russia |
| Slovakia | JOJ Šport |
| Sweden | Sveriges Television Viaplay Group |
| Switzerland | UPC Switzerland (MySports) |
| United States | NHL Network ESPN+ |
The Sports Network (TSN) produced byPaul Graham has covered the World Junior Championship annually since 1992,[31] after reaching a broadcast agreement with thenHockey Canada vice-presidentBob Nicholson.[32] TSN initially covered only the Team Canada games, then added all games in Team Canada's pool.[33] TSN gradually expanded coverage to include all games of the tournament, when Graham insisted on "a big game feel".[33] As of the2021 Championships, all pre-tournament and in-tournament games were broadcast.[34] As of the2025 Championships, coverage exceeded 84 broadcast hours.[33]
TSN is the IIHF's main broadcast partner for this tournament. TSN.ca carries all games excluding relegation games live, as well as most games on demand after their completion.[35] Beginning with 2022 WJC, the international feed produced by TSN as seen on NHL Network's USA Hockey team games and in other countries has the IIHF lettering for game scores instead of TSN's.
Starting with the 2013 tournament, a paywall and geo-block was implemented on TSN's online coverage.[36] The same system applies to Canadian cable subscribers and subscribers of TSN's streaming service – users cannot stream the tournament outside of Canada on TSN Direct.[37]
Norway is currently a 'blackout' zone. Neither Eurosport or Viasat carry the tournament.
Media related toIIHF World U20 Championship at Wikimedia Commons
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