A 2:1 victory over France in Rīga on August 29 proved decisive and guarantees a place next year in China.
Among the four teams in the group, France, Italy, Latvia, and Hungary, only the Latvian team made it to the Olympics.
The Latvian team did not make it to the 2018 Olympics but did participate in four consecutive Games before that. Latvian ice hockey debut at the Olympic Games was in 1936.