The following Teams will participate at the 2009 World Championship in Berne and Zurich-Kloten.
GROUP A - playing in Zürich-Kloten
Canada: World Championship Ranking 2008: 2nd place. World Ranking 2008: 1st place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1920. Population of 33 million with 545,000 active players. Most successful World Championship nation to date: 24 times gold, 12 times silver and 9 times bronze. www.hockeycanada.ca
Slovakia: World Championship Ranking 2008: 13th place. World Ranking 2008: 8th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1993. Population of 5.5 million with 10,000 active players. World Championship successes: One medal of each – gold, silver and bronze. www.szlh.sk
Belarus: World Championship Ranking 2008: 9th place. World Ranking 2008: 9th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1992. Population of 10 million with 3,000 active players. No World Championship medal yet. www.hockey.by
Hungary: Advanced to Group A in 2008. World Ranking 2008: 20th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1927. Population of 10 million with 2,000 active players. No World Championship medal yet. www.icehockey.hu
GROUP B - playing in Berne
Russia: Titleholder and winner of the World Championship 2008. World Ranking 2008: 2nd place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1952. Population of 140 million with 82,000 active players. World Championship successes: 24 times gold, 8 times silver and 7 times bronze (including the Soviet Union). www.fhr.ru
Switzerland: Hosting the World Championship for the 10th time in 2008 (the international record). World Championship Ranking 2008: 7th place. World Ranking 2008: 7th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1908. Population of 7.5 million with 25,000 active players. World Championship successes: 1 silver and 8 bronze medals. www.swiss-icehockey.ch
Germany: World Championship Ranking 2008: 10th place. World Ranking 2008: 10th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1909. Population of 82 million with 30,000 active players. World Championship successes: 2 silver and 2 bronze medals (including West Germany). www.deb-online.de
France: World Championship Ranking 2008: 14th place. World Ranking 2008: 18th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1908. Population of 61 million with 17,000 active players. No World Championship medal yet. www.hockeyfrance.com
GROUP C - playing in Berne
Sweden: World Championship Ranking 2008: 4th place. World Ranking 2008: 3rd place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1912. Population of 9 million with 64,000 active players. World Championship successes: 8 times gold, 18 times silver and 14 times bronze. www.swehockey.se
USA: World Championship Ranking 2008: 6th place. World Ranking 2008: 6th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1920. Population of 301 million with 450,000 active players. World Championship successes: 2 times gold, 9 times silver and 5 times bronze. www.usahockey.com
Latvia: World Championship Ranking 2008: 11th place. World Ranking 2008: 11th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1931. Population of 2 million with 4,000 active players. Not yet on a World Championship podium. www.lhf.lv
Austria: Returned to Group A in 2008. World Ranking 2008: 16th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1912. Population of 8 million with 10,000 active players. 2 times World Championship bronze. www.eishockey.at
GROUP D - playing in Zürich-Kloten
Finland: World Championship Ranking 2008: 3rd place. World Ranking 2008: 4th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1928. Population of 5 million with 62,000 active players. World Championship successes: 1 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze medals. www.finhockey.fi
Czech Republic: World Championship Ranking 2008: 5th place. World Ranking 2008: 5th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1908. Population of 10 million with 95,000 active players. World Championship successes: 11 times gold, 13 times silver and 19 times bronze (including Czechoslovakia). www.hokej.cz
Norway: World Championship Ranking 2008: 8th place. World Ranking 2008: 12th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1935. Population of 4.5 million with 6,500 active players. No World Championship medal yet. www.hockey.no
Denmark: World Championship Ranking 2008: 12th place. World Ranking 2008: 13th place. Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1946. Population of 5.5 million with 4,000 active players. Not yet on a World Championship podium. www.ishockey.dk
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