Uzbekistan won the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division III Group B title, earned promotion and set a new Division III scoring record with 86 goals. In the final game, Uzbekistan defeated hosts Hong Kong 9–4 to complete a perfect campaign with five wins in five matches.
The team dominated throughout the tournament, posting emphatic victories over Mongolia (26–1), the Philippines (28–3), North Korea (20–3) and Luxembourg (14–0) before beating Hong Kong. The previous Division III scoring record had belonged to Kyrgyzstan, which scored 76 goals.
The final standings in Division III Group B were as follows: Uzbekistan — 15 points, North Korea — 12, Hong Kong — 9, Luxembourg — 6, Mongolia — 3, Philippines — 0.
Uzbekistan’s Vadim Kravchenko finished as the tournament’s top scorer and top goal scorer with 35 points, including 19 goals and 16 assists. Another Uzbek player, Vasiliy Zhilov, led the tournament in assists with 21, while Javokhir Rasulov posted the best plus-minus rating at +31.
Uzbekistan will play in Division III Group A next season.
There will be no Central Asian derby there, however, as Turkmenistan finished last in the 2026 Division III Group A tournament and was relegated.
Turkmenistan collected just one point and failed to win a single game. The team lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina (3–4), Turkey (4–6), Mexico (4–5) and South Africa (3–5), then fell to Thailand 5–6 in a shootout in its final match, earning its only point of the tournament.
The final standings in Division III Group A were: Turkey — 15 points, Mexico — 9, Bosnia and Herzegovina — 8, South Africa — 7, Thailand — 5, Turkmenistan — 1.
In the 2027 season, Uzbekistan will face Chinese Taipei, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Thailand, Mexico and South Africa in Division III Group A, as reported by Fergana.
Turkmenistan, now in Group B, will play against Mongolia, the Philippines, Luxembourg, North Korea and Hong Kong.
Earlier, Kyrgyzstan competed in Division II Group B and retained its place. Next season, Kyrgyzstan will face Israel, Iceland, New Zealand, Bulgaria and Turkey.
