Italy clinches B-Pool title ahead of home Paralympic Winter Games

Italy received a major boost ahead of hosting the Paralympic Winter Games next year, defeating Japan on Thursday to claim the World Para Ice Hockey Championships B-Pool title in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Both Italy and Japan will return to the A-Pool in 2027 as the top two finishers. The Azzurri completed an unbeaten run in Astana, sealing the title with a 4–2 win over Japan on the final day of the round-robin tournament.

Promotion had already been secured by both teams before the last game day. Sweden earned the bronze medal and a spot in the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games Qualification Tournament with a commanding 13–0 win over France. The Qualification Tournament will take place in Jessheim, Norway, in December.

As hosts of the next Paralympic Games, Italy has the option to participate in the Qualification Tournament. If they choose to do so, they will join Sweden, Japan, and the bottom three teams from this year’s A-Pool: Slovakia, Korea, and Norway.

If Italy decides not to participate, they will retain the automatic 8th seed position at the Winter Games. In that case, Kazakhstan — the next best-ranked team from the B-Pool —will advance to the Qualification Tournament in Jessheim.

🏆 Best Forward Award:
Japan’s #10 Itsuki Ito#ParaIceHockey | #Astana2025 pic.twitter.com/Xfb0MijKFy

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) September 11, 2025

Kazakhstan, the host nation, finished fourth after a 5–2 win over Finland on Thursday. Finland placed fifth, while France ended sixth and will be relegated to the C-Pool in 2027.

Tournament Awards

•    Best Goalkeeper: Ulf Nilsson (Sweden)
•    Best Defenceman: Nikko Landeros (Italy)
•    Best Forward: Itsuki Ito (Japan)

Landeros also led the tournament in scoring with 30 points, including 24 goals.

🏆 Best Defenceman Award:
Italy’s #9 Nikko Landeros#ParaIceHockey | #Astana2025 pic.twitter.com/7CokVr7hYP

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) September 11, 2025

Complete results from the Astana 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championships B-Pool can be found below.

Gameday 1
Japan 20–0 France
Finland 0–11 Italy
Sweden 4–2 Kazakhstan

Gameday 2
Sweden 5–1 Finland
France 0–25 Italy
Japan 6–0 Kazakhstan

Gameday 3
France 1–7 Finland
Japan 4–1 Sweden
Italy 13–1 Kazakhstan

Gameday 4
Finland 0–12 Japan
Italy 5–0 Sweden
Kazakhstan 8–1 France

Gameday 5
Sweden 13–0 France
Italy 4–2 Japan
Kazakhstan 5–2 Finland