A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Switzerland |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Dates | 1–17 May |
| Opened by | Flavio Cotti |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
Champions  |  Sweden (7th title) |
Runner-up  |  Finland |
Third place  |  Czech Republic |
| Fourth place | Switzerland |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 49 |
| Goals scored | 276 (5.63 per game) |
| Scoring leader(s) | Peter Forsberg (11 pts) |
The 1998 IIHF World Championship was held in Switzerland from 1–17 May 1998. The format expanded to 16 teams for the first time. The teams were divided into four groups of four with the top two teams in each advancing to the next round. The two groups of four then played a round robin with the top two teams in each moving on to the semi-finals. The semi-finals were a two-game total goals for series as was the final.
Venues
| Zürich | Basel | |
| Hallenstadion Capacity: 12,500 |
St. Jakobshalle Capacity: 9,000 | |
|
|
Qualifying Round (Austria)
Played 6–9 November 1997 in Klagenfurt. The Kazakhs, Austrians, and Norwegians finished virtually even. In head-to-head match-ups they each had one win and one loss, they each had scored as many as they had allowed. The Kazakhs scored six goals, the other two both five, pushing them to first. The Norwegians had beaten Poland by three, on the final day the Austrians pushed their advantage over Poland to four, giving them the final spot in the World Championship.[1]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kazakhstan
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 4 |
| 2 |  Austria
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 4 |
| 3 |  Norway
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 4 |
| 4 |  Poland
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 0 |
Kazakhstan and Austria advanced to Group A, Norway and Poland competed in Group B.
| 6 November 1997 | Kazakhstan | 6-1 | Poland |
| 6 November 1997 | Austria | 1-3 | Norway |
| 8 November 1997 | Norway | 3-0 | Poland |
| 8 November 1997 | Austria | 4-2 | Kazakhstan |
| 9 November 1997 | Kazakhstan | 4-2 | Norway |
| 9 November 1997 | Austria | 4-0 | Poland |
First round
In each group, the top two nations advanced to the next round. Third place teams played a final round against each other to determine who escaped having to qualify for next year's tournament. Fourth place teams did not play further, they were automatically entered in qualifiers for next year's tournament. The highlight of the round was the French victory of the US, the first ever in an official match.[2]
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Czech Republic
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 | +15 | 6 |
| 2 |  Belarus
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 4 |
| 3 |  Germany
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 2 |
| 4 |  Japan
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 19 | −12 | 0 |
Japan was relegated to the qualifiers for the 1999 IIHF World Championship.
| 1 May | Czech Republic | 8-2 | Japan | St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| 1 May | Belarus | 4-2 | Germany | St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| 3 May | Belarus | 2-4 | Czech Republic | St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| 3 May | Germany | 5-1 | Japan | St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| 5 May | Japan | 4-6 | Belarus | St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
| 5 May | Czech Republic | 8-1 | Germany | St. Jakobshalle, Basel |
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Canada
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 5 |
| 2 |  Slovakia
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 5 |
| 3 |  Italy
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Austria
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 | −12 | 0 |
Austria was relegated to the qualifiers for the 1999 IIHF World Championship.
| 1 May | Canada | 5-1 | Austria | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
| 1 May | Italy | 1-2 | Slovakia | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
| 3 May | Slovakia | 2-2 | Canada | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
| 3 May | Italy | 5-1 | Austria | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
| 5 May | Austria | 1-5 | Slovakia | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
| 5 May | Canada | 5-2 | Italy | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
Group 3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 4 | +12 | 6 |
| 2 | Switzerland
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 10 | −1 | 2 |
| 3 |  United States
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 2 |
| 4 |  France
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 12 | −7 | 2 |
France was relegated to the qualifiers for the 1999 IIHF World Championship.
| 2 May | United States | 5-2 | Switzerland | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
| 2 May | Sweden | 6-1 | France | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
| 4 May | France | 3-1 | United States | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
| 4 May | Sweden | 4-2 | Switzerland | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
| 6 May | United States | 1-6 | Sweden | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
| 6 May | Switzerland | 5-1 | France | Hallenstadion, Zürich |
