Preliminary Round
Sixteen participating teams were placed in the following four groups. After playing a round-robin, the top three teams in each group advanced to the Qualifying Round. The last team in each group competes in the Relegation Round.
Groups A and D played in Bratislava, and groups B and C played in Košice.
| Team advanced to Qualifying Round | |
| Team competes in Relegation Round |
Read more about this topic: 2011 IIHF World Championship
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