2027 World Junior Championship Promotion and Relegation: How It Works
The top division of the World Junior Championship has ten teams, but the lineup can change every year. No team receives an invitation each year because recent tournament results determine its place. One team moves forward to the top division, and one drops out.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Top Division Teams | 10 |
| Teams in Division I A | 6 |
| Total Divisions | 8 |
| Total Teams in Ladder | 49 |
| Promoted Each Year | 1 team from each division |
| Relegated Each Year | 1 team from each division |
| 2027 Relegation Game | Jan 2, 2027 at Rogers Place, Edmonton |
| Promoted for 2027 | Norway |
| Relegated After 2026 | Denmark |
| Next Promotion Race | Division I A, Budapest, December 6–12, 2026 |
Denmark was relegated in 2026, while Norway moved up to the top division for the 2027 event. This guide explains the full ladder and shows how Norway and Denmark swapped places.
How a Team Earns a Spot in the Top Division
No country can enter the top division through qualification. Nine teams keep their place from the previous tournament. That season’s Division I Group A champion enters the top division as the tenth team.
Every country starts from division ladders. Your last finish decides where you play next year. Win your division, and you move up one level.
The World Juniors Division Ladder
The World Juniors has eight levels, and every tier is its own tournament. Teams usually move only one step up or down from year to year.
| Division | Teams | Champion Moves To |
|---|---|---|
| Top Division | 10 | Top of the ladder |
| Division I A | 6 | Top Division |
| Division I B | 6 | Division I A |
| Division II A | 6 | Division I B |
| Division II B | 6 | Division II A |
| Division III A | 6 | Division II B |
| Division III B | 5 | Division III A |
| Division IV | 4 | Division III B |
How promotion works
Division I A has six teams, and each team plays every other team. The team that scores the most points wins the group and is promoted to the top division. The last-place team drops to Division I B. The same pattern applies to all other divisions in World Junior Ice Hockey.
In the 2026 Division I A tournament, Norway beat all other teams and scored 37 goals. The table below lists the moves from all eight divisions that resulted from those tournaments.
| Division | Promoted | Relegated |
|---|---|---|
| Top Division | None (top tier) | Denmark to the 2027 Division I A |
| Division I A | Norway to the 2027 Top Division | France to the 2027 Division I B |
| Division I B | Hungary to the 2027 Division I A | Italy to the 2027 Division II A |
| Division II A | South Korea to the 2027 Division I B | Spain to the 2027 Division II B |
| Division II B | Netherlands to the 2027 Division II A | Iceland to the 2027 Division III A |
| Division III A | Chinese Taipei to the 2027 Division II B | Bosnia and Herzegovina to the 2027 Division III B |
| Division III B | Kyrgyzstan to the 2027 Division III A | None listed (lowest tier at the time) |
| Division IV | Did not exist in 2026 | Did not exist in 2026 |
How Relegation Works from the Top Division
Two fifth-placed group teams in the top division play a relegation game. The losers drop into Division I A, and the Division I A champion is promoted to the top division. Read the full format rules on our Rules and Format page.
Denmark and Norway: A Two-Year Example
Denmark and Norway traded places in the top division between the 2026 and 2027 tournaments. Denmark won Division I A in 2025 and returned to the top division for 2026. Norway won the same division in 2026 and took Denmark’s place for 2027.
| Year | Denmark | Norway |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Won Division I A | Third in Division I A |
| 2026 | Top Division, lost the relegation game | Won Division I A |
| 2027 | Division I A | Top Division |
Norway: The New Team for 2027
Norway returns to the top division after two editions. They won Division I Group A in Slovenia in December 2025, earning promotion. They replaced Denmark in the top division and play Group B in Edmonton. See our full Norway team guide for their roster, schedule, and key players.
The Long Climb From the Bottom
A team starting in Division IV needs seven straight promotions to reach the top. Because only one step is possible each year, that journey takes at least seven years. One lost tournament resets the clock and adds another full year to the climb. The table below shows how four teams moved between the 2025 and 2027 tournaments.
| Team | Move | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Lithuania | Won Division II A, then joined Division I B | 2025 to 2026 |
| Ukraine | Won Division I B, then joined Division I A | 2025 to 2026 |
| Hungary | Fell to Division I B, then won it and returned to Division I A | 2025 to 2027 |
| Italy | Finished last in Division I B and dropped to Division II A | 2026 to 2027 |
The Race for 2028
Budapest will decide the next top-division spot from December 6 to 12. Six teams play in Division I A at the Vasas Ice Center in Hungary. Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, and Ukraine will take part.
Denmark starts with the most pressure after dropping down this year. The winner replaces the 2027 relegation loser at the 2028 event in Finland. That tournament runs in Tampere and Turku from December 2027 into January 2028.
When the Rules Change
The ladder rules stay stable for years, but the IIHF rarely adjusts them. In 2022, the IIHF excluded Russia and Belarus, so no Division I team dropped down. Latvia, the Division I A runner-up, also earned promotion to the top division.
Conclusion
Each year, one team is relegated from the top division, and one team is promoted from Division I A. Norway earned promotion to the top division by winning Division I A, while Denmark lost its place.
