The 1998 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 62nd such event sanctioned by the

International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland, and ...

(IIHF). Teams representing 40 countries participated in several levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for group placements in the 1999 competition.

World Championship Group A

The Championship took place between sixteen teams in

Switzerland ; rm, citad federala, links=no). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzon ...

. * (2nd, Qualification Tournament) * (Promoted from Group B) * * * * * * * (Far East Qualifier) * (1st, Qualification Tournament) * * * * * (Host) *

World Championship Group B (Slovenia)

Played April 15–26 in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the a ...

and Jesenice. Norway, as the next year's host, had already been awarded a spot in Group A. In addition, the top three other finishers advanced to qualifying tournaments for inclusion in Group A. The Estonians came into the final game knowing they could lose by four and still advance. Trailing by three after two, they hung on to edge the Danish team in the standings.Summary at Passionhockey.com
/ref> '' Ukraine, Slovenia, and

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and t ...

all advanced to qualifiers for Group A, the Netherlands was relegated to Group C. Norway was promoted to Group A as hosts.''

World Championship Group C (Hungary)

Played March 22–28 in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Székesfehérvár Székesfehérvár (; german: Stuhlweißenburg ), known colloquially as Fehérvár ("white castle"), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the regional capital of Central Transdanubia, and the centre of Fejér ...

and Dunaújváros.

First Round

Group 1

Group 2

Final Round 25–28 Place

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

was promoted to Group B.''

Consolation Round 29–32 Place

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

was relegated to Group D. The Spanish led by two in both their final games, but tied them, and their earlier loss to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

sealed their fate.''

World Championship Group D (South Africa)

Played March 27 to April 2 in

Krugersdorp Krugersdorp (Afrikaans for ''Kruger's Town'') is a mining city in the West Rand District Municipality, West Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa founded in 1887 by Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, Marthinus Pretorius. Following the discovery of gold on ...

and Pretoria.

First Round

Group 1

Group 2

Final Round 33–36 Place

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

World Championship Group A

World Championship Group B (Slovenia)

World Championship Group C (Hungary)

First Round

Group 1

Group 2

Final Round 25–28 Place

Consolation Round 29–32 Place

World Championship Group D (South Africa)

First Round

Group 1

Group 2

Final Round 33–36 Place

Consolation Round 37–40 Place

Citations

References

See also