Shenzhen is hosting one of international ice hockey’s second-tier tournaments this week, with the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I, Group B, running from 29 April to 5 May at the Shenzhen Universiade Center – an 18,000-capacity arena in Longgang District originally built for the 2011 World University Games.
Six nations are competing in a single round-robin format across 15 games: China, South Korea, Romania, Estonia, Spain and the Netherlands. The tournament winner earns promotion to Division I Group A. No team will be relegated this year due to the cancellation of the Division II A tournament.
China carries the added weight of home-ice expectations at this Shenzhen ice hockey event. The national team has made notable progress through recent IIHF Asia Championships and professional league experience, and will be looking to push up the rankings in front of a home crowd.
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Their fixtures are as follows: versus South Korea on 29 April at 7:30 pm, Romania on 30 April at 7:30 pm, the Netherlands on 2 May at 7:30 pm, Spain on 3 May at 7:30 pm, and Estonia in the final round on 5 May at 7:30 pm.
The tournament reflects the IIHF’s recognition of China’s growing ice hockey scene in 2026, built on the momentum of the country’s Winter Olympics investment in winter sports. The top-tier IIHF World Championship runs separately in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland, from 15 to 31 May.
For more information on the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, visit iihf.com.
