Uncrowned Kings of Asian Hockey Still from Kazakhstan
There’s no surprise here – Kazakhstan remains the undisputed king of Asian hockey. Despite a disappointing World Championship in Herning, which saw them relegated from the top division, the Kazakhs still managed to climb one spot to No. 14 in the updated IIHF World Ranking.
Japan Leapfrogs South Korea, China Drops Slightly
Japan moved up two places to No. 22 thanks to a solid showing at the Division 1A Worlds, where they finished fourth – enough to overtake their regional rival South Korea.
The Koreans, on the other hand, dropped three spots to No. 25 after a failed promotion attempt in Division 1B.
China held on to 4th place in the Division 1B tournament, but still slipped one place in the overall rankings, now sitting at No. 27.
Mongolia Named Asian Climber of the Year
Israel held steady at No. 33, even after being relegated from Division 2A. The United Arab Emirates continued their rise with a two-spot jump to No. 34.
The biggest leap, however, came from Mongolia, climbing four places from 57th to 53rd. In fact, only the USA – newly crowned world champions – matched that kind of progress in this year’s rankings.
Georgia Rising, But Ranking Still Misleading
Georgia moved up three spots to 47th, but their ranking remains skewed. Due to eligibility issues in 2023, the IIHF annulled their results and demoted them to a lower division, meaning the current ranking doesn’t reflect their actual strength on the ice.
Among other Asian hockey nations, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, North Korea, and the Philippines all moved up two spots; Thailand gained one. Hong Kong and Singapore dropped one place, Iran and Malaysia fell by two, while Turkey and Kuwait slid down three. Chinese Taipei and Indonesia held their ground.
Uzbekistan and Armenia Make Ranking Debuts
Uzbekistan debuted at No. 59 after winning Division IV in their first-ever IIHF tournament appearance. Armenia, returning to IIHF play after a 15-year absence, rounds out the updated IIHF World Ranking in 60th place.
Introducing the AIH Ranking: A New Perspective
The IIHF World Ranking only includes countries that take part in official IIHF tournaments. That leaves out many active or developing hockey nations in Asia.
That’s why we’re introducing the AIH Ranking – our own regional ranking system that tracks all Asian countries involved in the sport, regardless of their IIHF status or competition level.
| 2025 IIHF Men’s Ranking – Asian Nations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Points | Movement |
| 14 |  Kazakhstan | 3265 | +1 |
| 22 |  Japan | 2860 | +2 |
| 25 |  South Korea | 2820 | -3 |
| 27 |  China | 2680 | -1 |
| 33 |  Israel | 2220 | – |
| 34 |  United Arab Emirates | 2200 | +2 |
| 40 |  Chinese Taipei | 1875 | – |
| 41 |  Turkey | 1815 | -3 |
| 42 |  Thailand | 1750 | +1 |
| 43 |  Kyrgyzstan | 1685 | +2 |
| 44 |  Turkmenistan | 1625 | +2 |
| 47 |  Georgia | 1555 | +3 |
| 50 |  Hong Kong, China | 1385 | -1 |
| 51 |  Philippines | 1190 | +2 |
| 52 |  Singapore | 1190 | -1 |
| 53 |  Mongolia | 1130 | +4 |
| 54 |  North Korea | 1105 | +2 |
| 55 |  Kuwait | 1085 | -3 |
| 56 |  Iran | 1070 | -2 |
| 57 |  Malaysia | 970 | -2 |
| 58 |  Indonesia | 960 | – |
| 59 |  Uzbekistan | 480 | NEW |
| 60 |  Armenia | 460 | NEW |
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