Bandy in the USA is almost exclusively a Minnesota sport. All league matches are played on the largest artificial ice surface of the Western Hemisphere, Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval in Roseville, venue of the 1995 Bandy World Championship and the 2006 Women's Bandy World Championship and 2016 Women's Bandy World Championship, even by the team from Duluth. Also rink bandy competitions are organized. The United States national bandy team is typically the 6th or the 7th best team in the world, thus often having finished either last in Group A or winning Group B of the Bandy World Championship. At the 2012 tournament they were praised for being better than ever before. However, it was not enough to avoid being relegated to Group B. With an increasing number of participating countries, from the 2014 tournament there are 8 countries in Group A, almost securing USA a permanent place for the foreseeable future.