# IIHF World U18 Championship

The IIHF U18 World Championship is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation for national under-18 ice hockey teams from around the world. The tournament is usually played in April and is organized according to a system similar to the Ice Hockey World Championships and the IIHF World Junior Championship. The tournament was first held in 1999.

## History

The United States leads the tournament with eleven championships followed by Canada with five championships, Finland with four, Russia with three, and Sweden with two. Players who do not participate in the World Championship due to their respective league postseasons have the alternative of representing their country in the non-IIHF Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August.

## Results

* (#) Number of tournaments (or 2nd placed/3rd places) won at the time.
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | 4th place | Host city (cities) | Host country |
| 1999 | Finland (1) | Sweden (1) | Slovakia (1) | Switzerland (1) | Füssen and Kaufbeuren | Germany |
| 2000 | Finland (2) | Russia (1) | Sweden (1) | Switzerland (2) | Kloten and Weinfelden | Switzerland |
| 2001 | Russia (1) | Switzerland (1) | Finland (1) | Czech Republic (1) | Helsinki, Lahti and Heinola | Finland |
| 2002 | United States (1) | Russia (2) | Czech Republic (1) | Finland (1) | Piešťany and Trnava | Slovakia |
| 2003 | Canada (1) | Slovakia (1) | Russia (1) | United States (1) | Yaroslavl | Russia |
| 2004 | Russia (2) | United States (1) | Czech Republic (2) | Canada (1) | Minsk | Belarus |
| 2005 | United States (2) | Canada (1) | Sweden (2) | Czech Republic (2) | Plzeň and České Budějovice | Czech Republic |
| 2006 | United States (3) | Finland (1) | Czech Republic (3) | Canada (2) | Ängelholm and Halmstad | Sweden |
| 2007 | Russia (3) | United States (2) | Sweden (3) | Canada (3) | Tampere and Rauma | Finland |
| 2008 | Canada (2) | Russia (3) | United States (1) | Sweden (1) | Kazan | Russia |
| 2009 | United States (4) | Russia (4) | Finland (2) | Canada (4) | Fargo and Moorhead | United States |
| 2010 | United States (5) | Sweden (2) | Finland (3) | Russia (1) | Minsk and Babruysk | Belarus |
| 2011 | United States (6) | Sweden (3) | Russia (2) | Canada (5) | Crimmitschau and Dresden | Germany |
| 2012 | United States (7) | Sweden (4) | Canada (1) | Finland (2) | Brno, Znojmo and Břeclav | Czech Republic |
| 2013 | Canada (3) | United States (3) | Finland (4) | Russia (2) | Sochi | Russia |
| 2014 | United States (8) | Czech Republic (1) | Canada (2) | Sweden (2) | Lappeenranta and Imatra | Finland |
| 2015 | United States (9) | Finland (2) | Canada (3) | Switzerland (3) | Zug and Lucerne | Switzerland |
| 2016 | Finland (3) | Sweden (5) | United States (2) | Canada (6) | Grand Forks | United States |
| 2017 | United States (10) | Finland (3) | Russia (3) | Sweden (3) | Poprad and Spišská Nová Ves | Slovakia |
| 2018 | Finland (4) | United States (4) | Sweden (4) | Czech Republic (3) | Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk | Russia |
| 2019 | Sweden (1) | Russia (5) | United States (3) | Canada (7) | Örnsköldsvik and Umeå | Sweden |
| 2020 | Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2021 | Canada (4) | Russia (6) | Sweden (5) | Finland (3) | Frisco and Plano | United States |
| 2022 | Sweden (2) | United States (5) | Finland (5) | Czech Republic (4) | Landshut and Kaufbeuren | Germany |
| 2023 | United States (11) | Sweden (6) | Canada (4) | Slovakia (1) | Basel and Porrentruy | Switzerland |
| 2024 | Canada (5) | United States (6) | Sweden (6) | Slovakia (2) | Espoo and Vantaa | Finland |
| 2025 | | | | | Frisco and Allen | United States |
| 2026 | | | | | TBD | Slovakia |
| 2027 | | | | | TBD | United States |
| 2028 | | | | | TBD | |
| 2029 | | | | | TBD | United States |

### Medal table

| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Medals |
| United States | 11 | 6 | 3 | 20 |
| Canada | 5 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| Finland | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| Russia | 3 | 6 | 3 | 12 |
| Sweden | 2 | 6 | 6 | 14 |
| Czechia | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Slovakia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 25 | 25 | 25 | 75 |

## Hosting countries

| Host country | Tournaments |
| Finland | 4 |
| Russia | 4 |
| Germany | 3 |
| Switzerland | 3 |
| United States | 3 |
| Belarus | 2 |
| Czechia | 2 |
| Slovakia | 2 |
| Sweden | 2 |