IIHF Asia and Oceania events held in the region gives Asian and Oceania members who are not in the IIHF World Championship Program additional game experience in a competition format.
These events support the development of ice hockey in IIHF Member National Associations and are included in a year-round program of development activities required for international competitive showcases. The competitions are held based on the IIHF Sport Regulations as well as IIHF Player Eligibility and should be the last step towards participating in the IIHF World Championship Program.
While the program was initially most successful with the Men's Senior Category, recently the Men's U18 and Women's Senior categories have seen the largest growth and development.
In 2023, 18 Asian member national associations will be represented in the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship program at different levels with Kazakhstan, Korea, Japan, China, the United Arab Emirates, DPR Korea, Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Hong Kong (China), Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Singapore, Malaysia, Kuwait, the Philippines, Mongolia and Indonesia planned to participate.
Asia and Oceania Championship
The IIHF Asia and Oceania Championship (formerly IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia) gives Asian and Oceania members that are not in the World Championship Program or that play in lower divisions or need additional game experiences a chance to compete. It shall also help develop hockey in Asia and Oceania rank the Asian teams in view of the seeding for the Asian Winter Games.
The first Challenge Cup of Asia was held in 2008 with six teams in Hong Kong. Since then the number of events has continuously grown and were held in various men’s, women’s and junior categories. In total, 33 events where held between 2008 and 2019 with a break in 2020 and 2021 due the Covid-19 pandemic.
Upcoming Tournaments
2025 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Asia ChampionshipIn CHINA, 31 October - 3 November
Host City :Beijing (CHN)
Venue :Shougang Ice Rink
Participanting Teams : Japan (JPN), China (CHN), Korea (KOR) & Kazakhstan (KAZ)
Tournament Page
2025 IIHF Ice Hockey Asia ChampionshipIn KAZAKHSTAN, 6 - 10 November
Venue : Almaty
Participanting Teams : Kazakhstan (KAZ), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR) & China (CHN)
Tournament Page
Past Tournaments
2024 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Asia and Oceania CupIn UZBEKISTAN, 23 to 30 April 2024
Venue : Tashkent & Samarkand
Participanting Teams : Uzbekistan, Thailand, Iran, Malaysia, Kuwait, Mongolia, UA Emirates, India, Macau, Indonesia
Tournament Page
2024 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Asia and Oceania Cup
In Bishkek, KYRGYZSTAN, 24 to 30 March 2024
Venue : Bishkek Arena
Participanting Teams : India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, United Arab Emirates
Tournament Page
2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Asia and Oceania Championship
In Bangkok, THAILAND, 30 April to 7 May 2023
Participants: India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates
Tournament Page
2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Asia And Oceania Championship
In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 11-17 March 2023
Participants: Iran, Mongolia, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan
Tournament Page
2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 Asia and Oceania Championship
In Bangkok, Thailand, 25 June - 2 July 2022
Group A: Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, United Arab Emirates
Group B: Indonesia, India, Singapore, Hong Kong (China)
Tournament page.
2019 IIHF Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1-9 March 2019
Group A: Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia
Group B: Macau, Indonesia, Oman
Tournament Page
2019 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 Challenge Cup of Asia
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 5-8 December 2018
Participants: Malaysia, Kyrgyzstan, United Arab Emirates, Philippines
Tournament Page
2019 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 Challenge Cup of Asia Division I
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 3-6 December 2018
Participants: Thailand, Kuwait, Mongolia, Indonesia
Tournament Page
2019 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Challenge Cup of Asia
In Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 14-19 April 2019
Participants: Chinese Taipei, New Zealand U18, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore
Tournament Page
2019 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's Challenge Cup of Asia Division I
In Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 14-19 April 2019
Participants: United Arab Emirates, Philippines, India, Kuwait
Tournament Page