The Netherlands emerged as champions, Serbia claimed silver, and the United Arab Emirates secured their second straight bronze.
Netherlands Dominate and Secure Promotion
The Dutch national team, a classic elevator team shuttling between Divisions 1B and 2A for the last decade, lived up to their reputation. Facing the host nation Serbia as their main rival, the Netherlands won all five games with confidence and consistency. Their unbeaten run earned them a well-deserved return to Division 1B.
| 2025 IIHF World Championship Division 2A, Belgrade | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | TEAM | RESULTS | G | P |
| 1 | 🥇the Netherlands | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25:4 | 15 |
| 2 | 🥈Serbia | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:5 | 12 |
| 3 | 🥉UAE | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14:13 | 6 |
| 4 | Belgium | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5:17 | 6 |
| 5 | Australia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7:17 | 3 |
| 6 | Israel | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9:16 | 3 |
Serbia Fall Short Again
As the only team to seriously challenge the Dutch, Serbia entered the tournament with high hopes. After appearances in Division 1B in 2022 and 2023, Serbian ambitions were sky-high. But for the second straight year, they had to settle for silver, falling just short of a return to the higher tier.
| 2025 IIHF World Championship Division 2A – Results | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Match | Result |
| 29 April 2025 | Belgium vs Israel | 2:0 |
| 29 April 2025 | UAE vs the Netherlands | 0:5 |
| 29 April 2025 | Serbia vs Australia | 3:0 |
| 30 April 2025 | the Netherlands vs Israel | 6:2 |
| 30 April 2025 | Australia vs Belgium | 1:3 |
| 30 April 2025 | Serbia vs UAE | 4:1 |
| 2 May 2025 | the Netherlands vs Australia | 5:1 |
| 2 May 2025 | UAE vs Israel | 2:3 |
| 2 May 2025 | Serbia vs Belgium | 2:0 |
| 3 May 2025 | Australia vs UAE | 1:3 |
| 3 May 2025 | Belgium vs the Netherlands | 0:6 |
| 3 May 2025 | Israel vs Serbia | 1:2 |
| 5 May 2025 | UAE vs Belgium | 8:0 |
| 5 May 2025 | Israel vs Australia | 3:4 |
| 5 May 2025 | the Netherlands vs Serbia | 3:1 |
UAE’s Bronze Run Continues
The United Arab Emirates have been part of the IIHF World Championship program (with a brief pause) since 2010. Originally a Division 3 team, they started rising rapidly in 2022 after bringing in naturalized players – especially from Russia. That trend continued in 2025, as 12 of their 22 rostered players were naturalized imports from Russia, Belarus, Canada, and Switzerland.
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With back-to-back bronze finishes in Division 2A, the UAE have established themselves as a solid mid-tier contender. However, without a deeper national development program, it remains unclear whether this progress is sustainable.
| Team UAE at the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division 2A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | GP | G | A | P |
| Ilya Chuikov | 5 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Artyom Klavdiyev | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Carter McLlwain | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Sergei Kuznetsov | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Gleb Nikitin | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Danil Glukhikh | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Airat Badegyev | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Talal Bensammoud | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Robert Korchokha | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Dmitri Shapovalov | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ernest Korchokha | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Timothy Ramseyer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Obaid Al Muharrami | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eissa Al Muhairbi | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Butti Al Qubaisi | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ali Al Hadad | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Omran Al Awani | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ahmed Al Suwaidi | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Obaid Al Mehairbi | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Abdulla Al Humaidi | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Goaltenders | ||||
| NAME | GP | GAA | SVS | WIN |
| Konstantin Belomoyev | 5 | 2,43 | 94,7 | 2 |
| Abdulrahman Al Hosani | 0 | – | – | – |
Belgium’s Bright Start Fizzles Out
Belgium, one of IIHF’s founding members, has been stuck in the lower divisions for decades – often in the shadow of Benelux rival Netherlands. In Belgrade, they opened strong with two wins, but collapsed in the bronze medal game, suffering an 8–0 thrashing from the UAE. The fourth-place finish leaves much to ponder.
Australia Avoid Relegation
The Mighty Roos used the Trans-Tasman Ice Hockey Challenge against New Zealand — an unofficial Oceania championship — to prepare for Belgrade, sweeping the series 3–0. As in recent years, they were without their NHL star Nathan Walker, who hasn’t featured in the national team for some time.
Despite being regulars in Division 2A since 2017, Australia’s form has been trending downward. A narrow 4–3 win over Israel in the final round was just enough to avoid relegation.
Israel’s Battle Ends in Relegation
Since their 2B title win in 2019, Israel had clung to their Division 2A spot through grit and timely wins. That run ended in Belgrade. Although they weren’t outplayed across the board – and even defeated the UAE – they lost the all-important match against Australia and dropped to Division 2B. Their effort was strong, but the margins were cruel.
| Team Israel at the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division 2A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | GP | G | A | P |
| Michael Levin | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Daniel Mazour | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Michail Kozhevnikov | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Gleb Khvoles | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Kirill Polozov | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Samson Goldstein | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ori Segal | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Itay Shalev Ben Tov | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nikita Zitserman | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Denis Kozev | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Nikita Lukin | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Maxim Khubashvili | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Amit Ben Tov | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Timur Galeyev | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nir Sigalov | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aner Abend | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ariel Kapulkin | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yuval Halpert | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yuval Turner | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shon Kazinetz | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Goaltenders | ||||
| NAME | GP | GAA | SVS | WIN |
| Yonatan Reisinger | 1 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
| Maxim Kalyayev | 5 | 3,46 | 91,6 | 1 |
2026 Worlds: Georgia Enters the Chat – and They Mean Business
In 2026, Division 2A will feature six teams: Serbia, the UAE, Belgium, and Australia all return after their 2025 campaigns in Belgrade; they’ll be joined by Croatia, relegated from World Championship Division 1B, and Georgia, promoted after winning Division 2B in Dunedin.
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