It has been no secret for years that the IIHF was looking to revamp the tournaments below the top. This was taken a step further this year when a new serpentine format was set to be tested at three IIHF tournaments and the U18 Asian Cup. (Only two of these tournaments took place as the Men’s Division 2 Group A and Division 4 events were canceled.)

Now, according to a report by Hockey Worldwide, this format will be heading to every IIHF tournament for the 2027 season. This will mean every IIHF division will have a playoff round for the first time.

How It Works

From the IIHF original trial description

The six teams in each division are divided into two groups of three using snake seeding. The tournament begins with a round robin contest, with each team in Group A facing all three opponents from Group B, and vice versa.

At the end of the group stage, the top teams in each group will advance to a knock-out stage. Team A1 will play A2 and B1 will face B2 in the semi-finals. The winners advance to a promotion decider; the losers play for third place.

The third-placed team in each group enters a two-game relegation round. The teams will collect points from these games using the current three-point system (three points for a regulation win, two points for a win in OT / SO, one point for a loss in OT / SO, no points for a loss in regulation). The team with the most points from the two games will stay up; the team with fewer points will be relegated.

If both teams are on equal points at the end of regulation in game two, overtime and, if needed, a shootout will determine which team escapes relegation. If each team has one win in overtime or a shootout, and thus finishes on level points.

What does this mean for Poland?

We may or may not see Poland in this format. In December of 2025, the IIHF announced that a new format proposal affecting the 12 teams competing in Divisions 1A and 1B is expected to go before the IIHF Annual Congress on May 28th and 29th in Zurich. We will have to see whether that plan still goes ahead or if the division below the top will also use this new serpentine format. All five of Poland’s IIHF teams will be competing at the Division 1 level, with one in Group A (Men’s) and four in Group B (Women’s, Men’s U20, Men’s U18, and Women’s U18).

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Thumbnail Photo via polskihokej.eu