The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) have published their 2026 World Rankings for the senior men’s national team program which sees Australia drop five places to 41st overall. The World Ranking is based on the performance of the last four World Championships and the latest Winter Olympics tournament. It also makes allowances for countries who have been unable to participate due to tournament cancellations and for members who are suspended from IIHF competition. In 2026, 45 countries and one region participated in the Men’s World Championships with Finland claiming gold in the Championship division. In the last ten years, Australia’s best ranking has been 33rd in 2017 and 2021 and their lowest is 41st in 2026.
Note: The plus/minus column reflects the movement from the rankings we published in June 2025. These differ from the plus/minus shown on the IIHF website due to their more frequent updates and their position on basing the rankings on teams participating in the upcoming season rather than overall points.
Australia’s ranking over the past ten years
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33rd | 36th | 35th | 35th | 33rd |
World Rankings
| Rank | Team | Points | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 5,510 | – |
| 2 | Switzerland | 5,335 | +1 |
| 3 | Canada | 5,305 | +1 |
| 4 | United States | 5,305 | –2 |
| 5 | Finland | 5,240 | +2 |
| 6 | Sweden | 5,100 | –1 |
| 7 | Czechia | 5,090 | –1 |
| 8 | Germany | 4,910 | – |
| 9 | Slovakia | 4,900 | +1 |
| 10 | Latvia | 4,845 | +1 |
| 11 | Denmark | 4,760 | –2 |
| 12 | Norway | 4,755 | +1 |
| 13 | Austria | 4,555 | –1 |
| 14 | Slovenia | 4,375 | +3 |
| 15 | Kazakhstan | 4,370 | –1 |
| 16 | France | 4,350 | –1 |
| 17 | Italy | 4,295 | +3 |
| 18 | Hungary | 4,275 | – |
| 19 | Belarus | 4,270 | –3 |
| 20 | Great Britain | 4,260 | –1 |
| 21 | Ukraine | 3,995 | +3 |
| 22 | Poland | 3,965 | –1 |
| 23 | Japan | 3,965 | –1 |
| 24 | Romania | 3,835 | –1 |
| 25 | Lithuania | 3,795 | +1 |
| 26 | South Korea | 3,750 | –1 |
| 27 | Estonia | 3,655 | +1 |
| 28 | China | 3,635 | –1 |
| 29 | Spain | 3,490 | – |
| 30 | Netherlands | 3,400 | – |
| 31 | Croatia | 3,350 | – |
| 32 | Serbia | 3,340 | – |
| 33 | Iceland | 2,985 | +2 |
| 34 | Georgia | 2,790 | +13 |
| 35 | Bulgaria | 2,775 | +3 |
| 36 | Chinese Taipei | 2,750 | +4 |
| 37 | Türkiye | 2,630 | +4 |
| 38 | Thailand | 2,520 | +4 |
| 39 | South Africa | 2,505 | +9 |
| 40 | United Arab Emirates | 2,280 | –6 |
| 41 | Australia | 2,210 | –5 |
| 42 | Belgium | 2,200 | –5 |
| 43 | Israel | 2,160 | –10 |
| 44 | New Zealand | 2,025 | –5 |
| 45 | Kyrgyzstan | 1,800 | –2 |
| 46 | Turkmenistan | 1,650 | –2 |
| 47 | Mexico | 1,645 | –2 |
| 48 | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 1,605 | +1 |
| 49 | Luxembourg | 1,505 | –3 |
| 50 | Hong Kong | 1,400 | – |
| 51 | North Korea | 1,305 | +3 |
| 52 | Mongolia | 1,280 | +1 |
| 53 | Philippines | 1,280 | –2 |
| 54 | Singapore | 1,250 | –2 |
| 55 | Kuwait | 1,110 | – |
| 56 | Iran | 1,080 | – |
| 57 | Indonesia | 1,060 | +1 |
| 58 | Malaysia | 1,000 | –1 |
| 59 | Uzbekistan | 960 | – |
| 60 | Armenia | 805 | – |
Forty first, which begs the question…Why bother at all? The promotion/relegation Divisional structure means that Australia is stuck in Limbo. It’s not like the Soccer World Cup where a lowly ranked qualifier can end up in a Pool playing Spain. You are trapped in your Division and the way Australia is going Relegation appears to be the only prospect. It’s not even our best amateurs that we send. We send those who can afford it financially, time wise and work wise. It is an end of season junket for Northern Hemisphere teams and disrupts our already short competition usually impacting on some clubs more than others. That’s not fair on our newly found admirers who are paying big money if they are a family and for 3 or 4 early games they are dished up a relatively inferior version of their Home team that loses a number of games early and end up chasing their tail to make the Play Offs. You can see the interest booming when the Matildas and Socceroos compete at World Level and win a game or two. Watching Australia being beaten by Rent A Team UAE and Israeli Russians won’t inspire future Hockey players. Better off playing in an Asian Championships at a time to suit.