The Division IA World Championship tournament in Sosnowiec, Poland saw the top two spots for promotion to the 2027 World Championship in Germany settled in a thrilling tournament, with Kazakhstan clinching the first spot, while Ukraine snagged the final spot on the last day of competition, clinching their returns to the Top Division for the first time since 2025 and 2007, respectively.
The first of two spots was secured by Kazakhstan in a thrilling 5-4 shootout victory over Ukraine, which saw a 3-1 Kazakh lead evaporate, trailing 4-3 before a Batyrlan Muratov goal tied things up and sent the game to extra time, where it was Muratov again with the winning shootout goal to seal the 5-4 win, setting Kazakhstan at 11 points over four games, locking up their return spot to the Top Division after being relegated in Denmark last year, their first relegation to Division IA in a decade. Second place in the table, however, sat in a three-way tie between Ukraine, France and Poland, at seven points each, going into the final day of competition, with Poland holding a slim tiebreaker on head-to-head points.
In the opening game, with nothing to play for, Kazakhstan still ended up taking France to extra time, edging them 2-1 in a shootout (with Muratov the hero once again), leaving Les Bleus dependent on both Ukraine and Poland to lose. Ukraine would defeat Japan 3-1 in the second game to eliminate France from contention, moving into second place with the final game of the day, Poland vs. Lithuania, holding major implications. A regulation win for Poland would mean promotion for the Orły, and relegation to Division IB for Lithuania; any other result would mean promotion for Ukraine, and relegation for Japan.
In the finale, in front of over 2,000 Polish fans, it was the Lithuanians playing the ultimate spoiler, first taking the early lead on a Paulius Gintautas power play goal midway through the first period, and then, despite Poland tying the game late in the second period, it was Lithuanian goalkeeper Faustas Nausėda, who turned away 37 of 38 shots in regulation, including a 6-on-4 power play in the final minute, that sent the game to extra time (ultimately winning the game 2-1 in overtime), clinching their spot in Division IA next year, and stopping Poland from clinching the Top Division.
Instead the second spot will go to Ukraine, who makes their return to the Top Division for the first time in two decades, spending their first six seasons as an independent nation climbing from Pool C to the Top Division, spending nine years at the top before their relegation twenty years ago. This is a remarkable achievement for a team that, icing a roster featuring only seven domestic players from their national league reduced to five clubs, due to the ongoing Russian invasion, while the rest of their roster was comprised of players competing in ten different national leagues, managed to fight their way back to the top.
Poland, France and Lithuania will remain in Division IA in 2027, while Japan is relegated to Division IB; they will be joined by the two bottom teams from this year’s World Championships, set to begin in Düsseldorf and Mannheim next week, as well as Estonia, who gained promotion in this year’s Division IB tournament, returning to Division IA for the first time since 2007, and looking for their first Top Division appearance in history.
Our congratulations to both Kazakhstan and Ukraine for their triumphant return to the Top Division in 2027!
International Hockey Lineal Championship 