2026 Winter Olympics: Asian Teams in the Hockey Qualifiers

Olympic Rings

Asia at the Olympics

This article is part of a special series we’ve prepared to mark the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.

The road to Milan began on December 14, 2023, with the start of Round 2 tournaments, and culminated in the final qualification events ending on September 1, 2024. Two Round 1 tournaments were originally scheduled for November 8–12, 2023, featuring mostly Asian teams – but the IIHF ultimately cancelled both.

Eight Asian Teams Joined the Race for Milano Cortina 2026

Based on IIHF’s decision, eight top-ranked nations after the 2023 World Championship earned direct spots at the Olympics: Canada, Finland, originally also Russia, the United States, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and Czechia.

The remaining four places were up for grabs in the qualification rounds, with 30 teams – including 8 from Asia – fighting for a ticket to Milan. Initially, only three slots were to be available, but Russia’s participation was cast into doubt due to its invasion of Ukraine. Once the IIHF confirmed Russia’s exclusion, one extra spot opened up.

Kazakhstan Earned a Direct Spot in the Final Round – South Korea, Japan, and China Started Earlier

Teams ranked 9th through 17th in the IIHF World Ranking were seeded directly into the final qualification round – including Asia’s top-ranked nation, Kazakhstan (15th).

South Korea (21st), Japan (25th), and China (26th) entered the race one stage earlier, starting from Round 3.

Israel and Australia withdrew – wild cards reshaped the opening rounds

Israel was initially slated to compete in Round 2, but both they and Australia withdrew from the qualification process. This opened the door for Turkey, who received a direct spot in this phase.

Round 1 was supposed to feature eight Asian teams – the United Arab Emirates, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Georgia, and Iran – along with several other teams. However, both Round 1 tournaments were cancelled “due to the IIHF’s inability to find a host”. (1) The federation eventually handed out wild cards for Round 2 to four teams – including Chinese Taipei, Thailand, and, following Mexico’s withdrawal, Georgia.

2026 Winter Olympics Milano & Cortina, Italy – Qualification
2023 IIHF Ranking	Team	Round
1	Canada	Qualified directly
2	Finland	Qualified directly
3	Russia	Qualified directly/banned
4	United States	Qualified directly
5	German	Qualified directly
6	Sweden	Qualified directly
7	Switzerland	Qualified directly
8	Czechia	Qualified directly
9	Slovakia	Final Qualification Round
10	Latvia	Final Qualification Round
11	Denmark	Final Qualification Round
12	Norway	Final Qualification Round
13	France	Final Qualification Round
14	Belarus	Final Qualification Round/Banned
15	Kazakhstan	Final Qualification Round
16	Austria	Final Qualification Round
17	Slovenia	Final Qualification Round
18	Italy	Qualified directly/Host
19	Hungary	Round 3
20	Great Britain	Round 3
21	South Korea	Round 3
22	Poland	Round 3
23	Romania	Round 3
24	Lithuania	Round 3
25	Japan	Round 3
26	China	Round 3
27	Ukraine	Round 3
28	Estonia	Round 2
29	Netherlands	Round 2
30	Serbia	Round 2
31	Croatia	Round 2
32	Spain	Round 2
33	Israel	Did not enter
34	Iceland	Round 2
35	Australia	Did not enter
36	Bulgaria	Round 2
37	Mexico	Round 2/Withdrew
38	Turkey	Round 2
39	United Arab Emirates	Round 1/Cancelled
40	Belgium	Did not enter
41	Chinese Taipei	Round 2/Wild Card
42	New Zealand	Did not enter
43	Luxembourg	Did not enter
44	Thailand	Round 2/Wild Card
45	Turkmenistan	Did not enter
46	Kyrgyzstan	Round 1/Cancelled
47	Hong Kong	Round 1/Cancelled
48	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Round 1/Cancelled
49	South Africa	Round 1/Cancelled
50	Kuwait	Round 1/Cancelled
51	Singapore	Did not enter
52	Malaysia	Did not enter
53	Georgia	Round 2/Wild Card
54	Iran	Round 1/Cancelled

Final Lineup: These Were Asia’s Olympic Hopefuls

A total of eight Asian teams ultimately took part in the Olympic qualification process:

Kazakhstan Aimed for a Third Olympic Appearance

Kazakhstan entered the Olympic qualification with hopes of making it to the Games for the third time. Their fondest memory remains Nagano 1998, where they pulled off a stunning run to the quarterfinals, eventually falling 4–1 to a star-studded Canadian squad led by Wayne Gretzky. Eight years later in Turin, they finished 9th overall.

As the 15th-ranked team in the IIHF Ranking, Kazakhstan was seeded directly into Final Qualification Group D, where they faced host nation Slovakia, top seed in the group, as well as Austria and Hungary – the latter advancing to this stage only because Belarus was not allowed to participate.

The tournament unfolded amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding Russia’s participation – at the time, there was speculation that even a second-place finish in the group might, theoretically, be enough to qualify for the Olympics.

Kazakhstan opened with a convincing 5–2 win over Hungary, led by a hat trick from their biggest star, Nikita Mikhailis. But the warning signs were there: Hungary outshot them 37–18, and it wasn’t just a fluke. Eight months later, the Hungarians would get their revenge in painful fashion – beating Kazakhstan at the top-level World Championship in Denmark.

In their second game, Kazakhstan delivered a tactically disciplined performance against a tough Austrian side, coming away with a 2–1 win. The game-winner came in the 53rd minute, scored by Tamirlan Gaitamirov.

That set up a decisive showdown in front of a packed arena in Bratislava, with 9,128 fans in attendance, as Kazakhstan faced heavy favorites Slovakia. Despite holding their own against a home team stacked with NHL talent, the Kazakhs fell 3–1 and saw their Olympic dream slip away.

As it turned out, not even Russia’s exclusion helped them – France advanced from the pool of second-placed teams thanks to a better goal differential.

2024 Final Olympic Qualification, Group D Bratislava, Slovakia
#	Team	GP	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF-GA	P
1	Slovakia	3	3	0	0	0	12-5	9
2	Kazakhstan	3	2	0	0	1	8-6	6
3	Austria	3	0	1	0	2	6-7	2
4	Hungary	3	0	0	1	2	8-16	1

Japan Shows Flashes of Promise but Finishes Last in Final Qualifying Group

Japan holds the most Olympic experience among Asian hockey nations, having competed eight times under the five rings. Their best finish remains 8th place in 1960. They also took part in the legendary 1980 tournament in Lake Placid, where American college players won gold – Japan, by contrast, finished last in 12th place.

Since then, they’ve appeared just once more – at Nagano 1998, where they qualified automatically as hosts. There, they finished 13th after a win over Austria.

Their road to Milan began in Group G of Round 3, held in Budapest, where they faced Lithuania, Spain, and host nation Hungary.

Japan struggled early against Lithuania, falling behind 0–3 before mounting a comeback to win 6–4.

An even bigger surprise came in their next game, where they trailed Spain 0–2 after the first period. But once again, they turned things around and secured a 6–3 victory.

In the decisive matchup against hosts Hungary, Japan rose to the occasion with their best performance of the tournament. Goals from Shogo Nakajima and Jiei Halliday earned them a narrow 2–1 win – sending Japan, somewhat unexpectedly, through to the final round of Olympic qualification.

2024 Olympic Qualification, Round 3, Group G Budapest, Hungary
#	Team	GP	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF-GA	P
1	Japan	3	3	0	0	0	14-8	9
2	Hungary	3	2	0	0	1	15-6	6
3	Lithuania	3	1	0	0	2	7-13	3
4	Spain	3	0	0	0	3	6-15	0

There, Japan was drawn into a tough Group F alongside host nation Denmark – bolstered by several NHL players – as well as Norway and Great Britain.

In Aalborg, the Japanese side held their own and managed to trouble all three top-division opponents. They opened with a fearless performance against Norway, even taking the lead at one point, but eventually fell 4–2.

Their best performance of the tournament came against the hosts. Denmark’s NHL-powered lineup – featuring goaltender Frederik Andersen and forwards like Lars Eller and Nikolaj Ehlers – was caught off guard, as Japan matched them stride for stride thanks to goals from Teruto Nakajima and Makuru Furuhashi. The game went to overtime, where it was ultimately decided by Stanley Cup champion and 1,000-game NHL veteran Lars Eller.

Though already out of contention for qualification, Japan showed determination in their final match against Great Britain. After falling behind 0–3, they battled back to make it 2–3 – but couldn’t find the equalizer.

2024 Final Olympic Qualification, Group F Aalborg, Denmark
#	Team	GP	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF-GA	P
1	Denmark	3	2	1	0	0	10-4	8
2	Norway	3	2	0	0	1	11-8	6
3	Great Britain	3	1	0	0	2	6-11	3
4	Japan	3	0	0	1	2	6-10	1

South Korea Edges Hosts but Misses Out on Final Round

South Korea has appeared on Olympic ice just once – at the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, where they qualified automatically as hosts. Although they lost all four of their games, they earned respect for their effort.

Their opener against powerhouse Czechia remains the most memorable: a narrow 2–1 defeat in front of a roaring home crowd. It was in that game that Min Ho Cho – now sadly passed away – scored South Korea’s first-ever Olympic goal.

South Korea began their qualification campaign in Round 3, drawn into Group J. The tournament was held in Sosnowiec, Poland, with the hosts joined by Ukraine, Estonia, and the lone Asian team. Poland entered as the heavy favorite, having just earned promotion to the World Championship’s top division – but South Korea hoped they could be the ones to derail the home team’s plans.

And yet, it was Ukraine who crashed the party. In the opening game, the Ukrainians stunned the Asian hopefuls with a 4–0 shutout.

In Game 2, South Korea’s key players stepped up and secured a 4–2 win over a stubborn Estonian side.

Heading into their final matchup against Poland, South Korea already knew they were out of contention. Still, they closed the tournament on a high note, defeating the hosts 3–2 in overtime thanks to a game-winner from defenseman Hyeong Cheol Song – a result that secured them second place in the group.

2024 Olympic Qualification, Round 3, Group J Sosnowiec, Poland
#	Team	GP	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF-GA	P
1	Ukraine	3	2	1	0	0	12-5	9
2	South Korea	3	1	1	0	1	7-8	5
3	Poland	3	1	0	2	0	8-6	5
4	Estonia	3	0	0	0	3	5-13	0

New-Look China Skates into Round 3 with Homegrown Roster

China entered the new Olympic cycle as a recent participant at the 2022 Beijing Games, where the home team – boosted by 15 naturalized players, 11 of whom had Chinese heritage – finished last in 12th place without a single win.

Led by captain Brandon Yip, the team had vowed to fight for another Olympic appearance. But before they could try, Chinese hockey leadership made a clear decision: the national team would now be built exclusively around homegrown players. The naturalized core was left out of the picture.

The Olympic qualifiers marked the first tournament for China’s revamped roster under new head coach Spiros Anastas. The youthful squad debuted in Group H of Round 3, held in Cardiff, Great Britain, in February 2024.

It was a rough start – goaltender Zehao Sun had to fish the puck out of his net 10 times in the opening game against host nation Great Britain, with China’s lone goal coming from Tianyuo Zuo.

China showed improvement in their second game against Romania, even taking an early lead thanks to a beautiful goal from Jing Wang. But the more experienced Romanians – battle-tested in Division 1A of the World Championship – eventually took control and cruised to a 6–1 win.

China closed out their Olympic campaign on a high note, edging Serbia 7–5 in a hard-fought battle. Just a year earlier, the old Yip-led squad had played a part in Serbia’s relegation to World Championship Division 2A – and this time, the next generation carried the torch. For rising names like Youyang Hou, Jing Wang, Mingju Zheng and others, the win was a valuable confidence boost.

Five of China’s seven goals against the hosts came from players who had suited up at the Beijing Olympics: Zesen Zhang, Ruinan Yan, Pengfei Zhang, and Jianing Guo, who scored twice.

2024 Olympic Qualification, Round 3, Group H Cardiff, Great Britain
#	Team	GP	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF-GA	P
1	Great Britain	3	3	0	0	0	28-5	9
2	Romania	3	2	0	0	1	14-8	6
3	China	3	1	0	0	2	9-21	3
4	Serbia	3	0	0	0	3	5-22	0

Experience Over Expectations: Turkey and Chinese Taipei in Group M

Turkey also joined the race for an Olympic berth, receiving a Round 2 spot after Israel and Australia withdrew. With both Round 1 tournaments cancelled – and Mexico pulling out as well – the IIHF awarded wild cards for Round 2 to four teams originally slated to play in Round 1. Among them was Chinese Taipei.

Turkey took part in Olympic qualification for the third time, while it was only the second appearance for Chinese Taipei.

Both teams were drawn into Group M, held in Belgrade, Serbia, in December 2023. The battle for advancement was expected to be between the hosts and Croatia, while the two Asian teams entered the tournament primarily to gain experience.

Chinese Taipei opened the tournament with a 6–1 loss to Croatia.

Turkey fell to Serbia by the same goal margin, 5–0, though the score was just 2–0 as late as the 50th minute.

Turkey went on to surprise with a bold performance against Croatia, jumping out to a 2–0 lead by the 26th minute with goals from Ferhat Bakal and Osman Meydancı. But the favored Croatians eventually turned things around and won 6–2.

Chinese Taipei, meanwhile, couldn’t offer the same level of resistance, suffering a 6–0 defeat to Serbia.

By the time the two Asian teams met, only pride was at stake. In a matchup between two relatively evenly matched squads, Chinese Taipei came out on top. The win was delivered by the Lin gang: Jui-Yu Lin, Yo-Chen Lin, and Hung-Ju Lin each scored in a 3–1 victory over Turkey.

2023 Olympic Qualification, Round 2, Group M Serbia, Belgrade
#	Team	GP	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF-GA	P
1	Serbia	3	3	0	0	0	15-0	9
2	Croatia	3	2	0	0	1	12-7	6
3	Chinese Taipei	3	1	0	0	2	4-13	3
4	Turkey	3	0	0	0	3	3-14	0

No Mercy, Just Lessons: Georgia and Thailand Outclassed in Group L

Two more Asian challengers – Georgia and Thailand – entered the Olympic qualification process in Round 2, Group L, alongside hosts Netherlands and Spain. Both teams were originally scheduled to compete in Round 1, but after the opening stage was cancelled, they received invitations from the IIHF to participate directly in Round 2. In Georgia’s case, the opportunity arose following Mexico’s withdrawal.

It was the second Olympic qualifying appearance for Georgia and Thailand. For both nations, the focus remained on gaining valuable experience and continuing their development in international competition.

Unlike Turkey and Chinese Taipei in Group M, two Asian teams in Group L found it much harder to keep the European favorites at bay. Thailand was thrashed 15–2 by Spain in their opening game, while Georgia also suffered a heavy 8–2 loss to hosts Netherlands.

Things got even worse for Thailand in their next outing, as the Dutch team rolled to a crushing 23–1 victory. Georgia, on the other hand, managed to keep the damage more manageable in a 5–1 defeat to Spain, showing slightly more structure and resistance.

When the two Asian squads finally met, the gap between them was clear. Georgia – competing one division above Thailand at the time – dominated from start to finish and cruised to a 10–0 win.

2023 Olympic Qualification, Round 2, Group L Tilburg, Netherlands
#	Team	GP	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF-GA	P
1	Spain	3	3	0	0	0	24-6	9
2	Netherlands	3	2	0	0	1	34-7	6
3	Georgia	3	1	0	0	2	13-13	3
4	Thailand	3	0	0	0	3	3-48	0

The Asian Olympic Dream Lives On

Although no Asian team made it to Milano Cortina 2026, the region’s presence in the qualification rounds left a mark. From Kazakhstan’s close call to Japan’s near-upset in Denmark, the journey brought growth, heart, and hard lessons. The Olympic dream lives on – and across Asia, the next chapter has already begun.