The IIHF World Junior Championship is a traditional international ice hockey tournament sponsored by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The tournament is traditionally held from late December to early January and is for under-20 national teams. It features the top young talent from around the globe. The event set the foundation for many young players for their future in the biggest leagues like the NHL.
The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship will be the 49th edition of the prestigious under-20 ice hockey tournament. The event will take place in Ottawa, Canada, from December 26, 2024, to January 5, 2025, at the Canadian Tire Centre and TD Place. Young players from the top-10 hockey nations will be competing for the championship. The tournament is comprised of two groups. Group A features Finland, Canada, Germany, the United States, and Latvia, while Group B includes Czechia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Kazakhstan. As defending champions, the United States will aim to retain their title in this highly anticipated competition.
Read More : List of IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship Winner Year by Year
Most titles of the IIHF Junior Championship
As of 2024, Canada holds the record for the most gold medals in IIHF World Junior Championship history with an impressive total of 20 titles. The country has dominated the tournament with remarkable streaks, including five consecutive championships from 1993 to 1997 and another five from 2005 to 2009.
Following Canada is the Soviet Union/CIS/Russia, which has secured 13 gold medals collectively. The Soviet Union won the first four official tournaments, showcasing their early supremacy in junior hockey. Sweden and Finland hold five golds each. The United States has six titles.
Below is the table of nations who won the titles year by year,
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | 4th place | Host city (cities) | Host country (countries) |
| 1977 | Soviet Union (1) | Canada (1) | Czechoslovakia (1) | Finland (1) | Zvolen and Banská Bystrica | Czechoslovakia |
| 1978 | Soviet Union (2) | Sweden (1) | Canada (1) | Czechoslovakia (1) | Montreal and Quebec City | Canada |
| 1979 | Soviet Union (3) | Czechoslovakia (1) | Sweden (1) | Finland (2) | Karlstad and Karlskoga | Sweden |
| 1980 | Soviet Union (4) | Finland (1) | Sweden (2) | Czechoslovakia (2) | Helsinki and Vantaa | Finland |
| 1981 | Sweden (1) | Finland (2) | Soviet Union (1) | Czechoslovakia (3) | Füssen, Landsberg and Kaufbeuren | West Germany |
| 1982 | Canada (1) | Czechoslovakia (2) | Finland (1) | Soviet Union (1) | Bloomington, Minneapolis and Duluth Winnipeg and Kenora | United States Canada |
| 1983 | Soviet Union (5) | Czechoslovakia (3) | Canada (2) | Sweden (1) | Leningrad | Soviet Union |
| 1984 | Soviet Union (6) | Finland (3) | Czechoslovakia (2) | Canada (1) | Norrköping and Nyköping | Sweden |
| 1985 | Canada (2) | Czechoslovakia (4) | Soviet Union (2) | Finland (3) | Helsinki and Turku | Finland |
| 1986 | Soviet Union (7) | Canada (2) | United States (1) | Czechoslovakia (4) | Hamilton, Toronto and London | Canada |
| 1987 | Finland[a] (1) | Czechoslovakia[a] (5) | Sweden[a] (3) | United States (1) | Piešťany, Topoľčany, Trenčín and Nitra | Czechoslovakia |
| 1988 | Canada (3) | Soviet Union (1) | Finland (2) | Czechoslovakia (5) | Moscow | Soviet Union |
| 1989 | Soviet Union (8) | Sweden (2) | Czechoslovakia (3) | Canada (2) | Anchorage and Eagle River | United States |
| 1990 | Canada (4) | Soviet Union (2) | Czechoslovakia (4) | Finland (4) | Helsinki and Turku | Finland[b] |
| 1991 | Canada (5) | Soviet Union (3) | Czechoslovakia (5) | United States (2) | Saskatoon | Canada |
| 1992 | CIS[10] (1) | Sweden (3) | United States (2) | Finland (5) | Füssen and Kaufbeuren | Germany |
| 1993 | Canada (6) | Sweden (4) | Czech Republic and Slovakia [11] (6) | United States (3) | Gävle, Uppsala and Falun | Sweden |
| 1994 | Canada (7) | Sweden (5) | Russia (1) | Finland (6) | Ostrava and Frýdek-Místek | Czech Republic |
| 1995 | Canada (8) | Russia (1) | Sweden (4) | Finland (7) | Red Deer, Edmonton, and Calgary | Canada |
| 1996 | Canada (9) | Sweden (6) | Russia (2) | Czech Republic (1) | Boston, Amherst, and Marlborough | United States |
| 1997 | Canada (10) | United States (1) | Russia (3) | Czech Republic (2) | Geneva and Morges | Switzerland |
| 1998 | Finland (2) | Russia (2) | Switzerland (1) | Czech Republic (3) | Helsinki and Hämeenlinna | Finland |
| 1999 | Russia (1) | Canada (3) | Slovakia (1) | Sweden (2) | Winnipeg, Brandon and Selkirk | Canada |
| 2000 | Czech Republic (1) | Russia (3) | Canada (3) | United States (4) | Skellefteå and Umeå | Sweden |
| 2001 | Czech Republic (2) | Finland (4) | Canada (4) | Sweden (3) | Moscow and Podolsk | Russia |
| 2002 | Russia (2) | Canada (4) | Finland (3) | Switzerland (1) | Pardubice and Hradec Králové | Czech Republic |
| 2003 | Russia (3) | Canada (5) | Finland (4) | United States (5) | Halifax and Sydney | Canada |
| 2004 | United States (1) | Canada (6) | Finland (5) | Czech Republic (4) | Helsinki and Hämeenlinna | Finland |
| 2005 | Canada (11) | Russia (4) | Czech Republic (1) | United States (6) | Grand Forks and Thief River Falls | United States |
| 2006 | Canada (12) | Russia (5) | Finland (6) | United States (7) | Vancouver, Kelowna and Kamloops | Canada |
| 2007 | Canada (13) | Russia (6) | United States (3) | Sweden (4) | Leksand and Mora | Sweden |
| 2008 | Canada (14) | Sweden (7) | Russia (4) | United States (8) | Pardubice and Liberec | Czech Republic |
| 2009 | Canada (15) | Sweden (8) | Russia (5) | Slovakia (1) | Ottawa | Canada |
| 2010 | United States (2) | Canada (7) | Sweden (5) | Switzerland (2) | Saskatoon and Regina | Canada |
| 2011 | Russia (4) | Canada (8) | United States (4) | Sweden (5) | Buffalo and Lewiston[12] | United States |
| 2012 | Sweden (2) | Russia (7) | Canada (5) | Finland (8) | Calgary and Edmonton | Canada |
| 2013 | United States (3) | Sweden (9) | Russia (6) | Canada (3) | Ufa | Russia |
| 2014 | Finland (3) | Sweden (10) | Russia (7) | Canada (4) | Malmö | Sweden |
| 2015 | Canada (16) | Russia (8) | Slovakia (2) | Sweden (6) | Toronto and Montreal | Canada |
| 2016 | Finland (4) | Russia (9) | United States (5) | Sweden (7) | Helsinki | Finland |
| 2017 | United States (4) | Canada (9) | Russia (8) | Sweden (8) | Montreal and Toronto[13] | Canada |
| 2018 | Canada (17) | Sweden (11) | United States (6) | Czech Republic (5) | Buffalo and Orchard Park[14] | United States |
| 2019 | Finland (5) | United States (2) | Russia (9) | Switzerland (3) | Vancouver and Victoria | Canada |
| 2020 | Canada (18) | Russia (10) | Sweden (6) | Finland (9) | Ostrava and Třinec | Czech Republic |
| 2021 | United States (5) | Canada (10) | Finland (7) | Russia (1) | Edmonton | Canada |
| 2022 | Canada (19) | Finland (5) | Sweden (7) | Czechia (6) | Edmonton | Canada |
| 2023 | Canada (20) | Czechia (1) | United States (7) | Sweden (9) | Halifax and Moncton | Canada |
| 2024 | United States (6) | Sweden (12) | Czechia (2) | Finland (10) | Gothenburg | Sweden |
Read More: List of IIHF World Junior Championship Host Country Year by Year
FAQs on IIHF World Junior Championship
A. As of 2024, the USA has won six WJC gold medals.
A. The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship will be the 49th edition of the tournament.
A. The age limit is under-20 to compete in the WJC.
A. The 2025 World Junior Championship going to take place in Ottawa, Canada.
