2023 Men's IIHF World Championship Format, Schedule and History

As the Stanley Cup Playoffs roll on, another high-profile hockey event is about to get underway: the 2023 men's IIHF World Championship. This international tournament will see 16 countries vie for the gold medal.

Here's everything fans need to know before the event kicks off.

IIHF World Championship 2023 Format

The men's IIHF World Championship once again features 16 teams that are split into two groups (A and B). Play begins in a round-robin format, with every team playing each member of its group once. The top four teams after these initial contests move on to the quarterfinals.

Adding to the stakes is the threat of relegation. The bottom two performers in each group will be demoted from the Championship level to Division 1a for next year's World Championships.

The quarterfinals then feature cross-group matchups. The first-placed team from one group will play the fourth-placed team from the other group, and the same goes for the second- and third-placed squads.

There is one exception, though. If hosts Finland and Latvia both qualify and are slated to play each other, then quarterfinal matchups will take place within groups (i.e. Group A's first-placed team would play its fourth-placed team, instead of Group B's).

Teams are then re-seeded for the semifinals based on how they performed in the group stage. The finals of the World Championship include a bronze- and a gold-medal game, with the loser of the latter receiving the silver.

IIHF World Championship 2023 Schedule by Day

Friday, May 12

• 9:20 a.m. ET: FIN v USA, SVK v CZE
• 1:20 p.m. ET: SWE v GER, LAT v CAN

Saturday, May 13

• 5:20 a.m. ET: FRA v AUT, SUI v SLO
• 9:20 a.m. ET: HUN v DEN, NOR v KAZ
• 1:20 p.m. ET: GER v FIN, SVK v LAT

Sunday, May 14

• 5:20 a.m. ET: USA v HUN, SLO v CAN
• 9:20 a.m. ET: FRA v DEN, NOR v SUI
• 1:20 p.m. ET: SWE v AUT, CZE v KAZ

Monday, May 15

• 9:20 a.m. ET: GER v USA, SVK v CAN
• 1:20 p.m. ET: FIN v SWE, CZE v LAT

Tuesday, May 16

• 9:20 a.m. ET: DEN v AUT, SLO v NOR
• 1:20 p.m. ET: FRA v HUN, SUI v KAZ

Wednesday, May 17

• 9:20 a.m. ET: USA v AUT, LAT v NOR
• 1:20 p.m. ET: FIN v FRA, CAN v KAZ

Thursday, May 18

• 9:20 a.m. ET: HUN v SWE, CZE v SLO
• 1:20 p.m. ET: DEN v GER, SUI v SVK

Friday, May 19

• 9:20 a.m. ET: HUN v FIN, LAT v SLO
• 1:20 p.m. ET: AUT v GER, KAZ v SVK

Saturday, May 20

• 5:20 a.m. ET: USA v DEN, NOR v CZE
• 9:20 a.m. ET: AUT v FIN, CAN v SUI
• 1:20 p.m. ET: SWE v FRA, KAZ v LAT

Sunday, May 21

• 9:20 a.m. ET: GER v HUN, SLO v SVK
• 1:20 p.m. ET: USA v FRA, CZE v SUI

Monday, May 22

• 9:20 a.m. ET: DEN v SWE, CAN v NOR
• 1:20 p.m. ET: AUT v HUN, KAZ v SLO

Tuesday, May 23

• 5:20 a.m. ET: GER v FRA, SVK v NOR
• 9:20 a.m. ET: SWE v USA, CAN v CZE
• 1:20 p.m. ET: FIN v DEN, SUI v LAT

Wednesday, May 24

• Off Day

Thursday, May 25

• Quarterfinal Games (4)

Friday, May 26

• Off Day

Saturday, May 27

• Semifinal Games (2)

Sunday, May 28

• Gold and Bronze Medal Games

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.