What you need to know about the World Championships 2024? Format, key dates, history, favorites

On Friday, May 10th, the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship commences, lasting until May 26th. This year, it will unfold across two Czech cities - Prague and Ostrava. Dailysports offers its readers in this piece an exploration of the tournament's format, history, and contenders.

History

The Ice Hockey World Championship among adult teams is an annual competition organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 1920. Alongside the Olympic tournament and the World Cup, it stands as the most prestigious event.

Initially, the tournament was held only within the framework of the Winter Olympics, except for the first tournament, held during the 1920 Summer Olympics. However, from 1930 onwards, it has been conducted annually and was referred to as the World and European Championship until 1991.

Until 1968, during Olympic years, the Olympic ice hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship.

Where will the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship be held?

This year's tournament, the 87th Ice Hockey World Championship, will take place in the Czech cities of Prague and Ostrava. This was announced at the IIHF Congress on May 24, 2019, held in Bratislava. By the way, the last time the Czech Republic hosted the World Cup was in 2015, when the Canadian team won, defeating Russia 6-1 in the final.

O2 Arena

The World Championship will host two arenas - the O2 Arena in Prague, accommodating 17,383 spectators, originally constructed in 2004 for the hockey world championship. Formerly known as the Sazka Arena until 2008, it serves as the home arena for the Czech Extraliga club, Slavia Prague.

Ostravar Arena

And the Ostravar Arena in Ostrava, with a capacity of 9,779. This arena serves as the home arena for the Czech Extraliga club, Vítkovice Steel. In 1979, plans were made to build a cultural and sports center in Ostrava. The Palace of Culture and Sport was constructed in 1986. In 2004, before the hockey world championship, the sports palace underwent a complete reconstruction for 690 million crowns and was renamed the ČEZ Arena.

What format will the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship follow?

Sixteen national teams will participate in the tournament, divided into two groups of eight teams each. Teams will compete against each other once, after which the teams finishing at the bottom of their groups will move down to a lower division. The top four teams from each group will continue to compete in the quarterfinal playoffs, where the champion will be determined through the knockout system.

Tournament Schedule and Point Calculation System

The group stage of the Ice Hockey World Championship will commence on Friday, May 10th, and last until May 21st. The quarterfinals will be held on May 23rd, followed by the semifinals on May 25th, and the third-place match and final on May 26th.

The point calculation system during the group stage differs from what we are accustomed to in the NHL:

• Victory in regulation time - 3 points
• Victory in overtime or shootout - 2 points
• Loss in overtime or shootout - 1 point
• Loss in regulation time - 0 points

Tournament Winners

The most decorated team to date is Team Canada, having won 28 gold medals throughout its history. The Soviet Union and Russia occupy the second spot with a combined total of 27 medals, of which 25 were won during the Soviet era. Russia has only won two gold medals. Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic round up the top three. Both teams have won six medals each, totaling 12.

All Ice Hockey World Championship Winners:

• Canada: 28
• Russia/Soviet Union: 27
• Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic: 12Sweden: 11
• Finland: 4
• USA: 2
• Great Britain: 1
• Slovakia: 1

Who are the favorites for the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship?

Bookmakers consider Team Canada as the primary favorite for victory. In the last four tournaments, they reached the final and emerged victorious twice, defeating Finland in 2021 and Germany in 2023. Additionally, among the top contenders are Team Sweden, Finland, and the USA. Teams Russia and Belarus have been disqualified from the tournament due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as in the past two championships.

The betting odds for winning the tournament are as follows:

• Canada: 3.5
• Sweden: 4.8
• Finland: 5.5
• USA: 6
• Czech Republic: 7
• Switzerland: 12
• Germany: 20
• Slovakia: 35
• Latvia: 50
• Denmark: 100
• Norway: 150
• Kazakhstan: 250
• France: 350
• Poland: 500
• Great Britain: 500
• Austria: 500

The primary candidates for relegation to the lower division are immediately three teams - Poland, Great Britain, and Austria.

Furthermore, it is already known that next year, the two weakest teams in the top division will be replaced by the national teams of Hungary and Slovenia.