The two groups for the 2012 IIHF World Championship in Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden have been announced. In the Helsinki Group, reigning champions, Finland, will host Canada, Switzerland, Slovakia, Belarus, France, Kazakhstan, and the US.

In Stockholm, Sweden Tre Kronor will take on Russia, Latvia, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Italy, and the Czech Republic.

Each team will play seven games in the round-robin phase of the tournament.

The best four teams in each group qualify for the quarterfinals which will be played intra-group. The top-seed team in each group plays the fourth-place team in the same group, and the teams finishing second and third play against each other. Winners of the quarterfinals will play the semifinal against a team in the other group. All semifinals, and medal games will be played at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki.