The playoff round of the 2023 IIHF World Championship was held from 25 to 28 May 2023. The top four of each preliminary group qualified for the playoff round.[1]
Quarter-finalists were paired according to their positions in the groups: the first-place team in each preliminary-round group played the fourth-place team of the other group, while the second-place team played the third-place team of the other group.[2]
Semi-finalists were paired according to their seeding after the preliminary round, which was determined by the following criteria. The best-ranked semi-finalist played against the lowest-ranked semi-finalist, while the second-best-ranked semi-finalist played the third-best-ranked semi-finalist.[2]
Classification rules: 1)position in the group; 2)number of points; 3)goal difference; 4)number of goals scored for; 5)seeding number entering the tournament[4]
Bracket
There was a re-seeding after the quarter-finals.[2] If Finland and Latvia were to play in the quarter-finals, there would have been no cross-over for the quarter-finals.