The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is the biggest annual winter sports event worldwide.
In 2013, 16 teams will play in two preliminary round groups with eight teams in each, using the IIHF World Ranking for seeding. This means that each team will play seven preliminary round games against beforehand known opposition.
The dates of the tournament are 3-19 May. Preliminary rounds will be played in Stockholm (Sweden) and Helsinki (Finland).
The top four teams in each preliminary round group will advance to the quarterfinals. For more information about the format click here.
The total number of games played in 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship will be 64. The two top teams will have to play ten games to reach the final.