The schedule for the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship has been released, being hosted in Utica, New York, United States, with the hosts looking to repeat as champions for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Group A will see hosts and defending champions Team USA defending their crown against perennial rivals Canada atop the group once again, with back-to-back Bronze medalists Czechia, Switzerland and Finland, returning back to the top group after spending last season in Group B, all trying to play spoiler and ruin the typical US-Canada dominance atop the group. The U.S. will look to win consecutive Gold for the first time since “five-peating” between 2013 and 2019, along with their first Gold on home ice since 2017, looking to win overall World title #11, inching closer to Canada (with 12 World titles) atop the all-time table. Canada, meanwhile, is looking to exact revenge for being defeated on their home turf in 2023, looking for their third title in four years.

In the lower Group will be Japan, demoted from Group A after last season, against Sweden, Germany, and newly-promoted China and Denmark, making their tournament returns for the first time since 2009 and 2022, respectively. While Japan is the likely favourite to top the group, whether the promoted Lady Dragons or Lions can make a splash and snag the second playoff spot in the group, thus also avoiding Division IA relegation for 2025, will surely make this group an interesting one to watch, far less predictable than the Group A table.

The tournament schedule is as follows:

The IHLC is guaranteed to start in Group A, as the title, currently held by the United States, will only face Canada before Utica in the to-be-scheduled 2023-24 Rivalry Series, meaning either team, in the group with Switzerland, Czechia and Finland will enter Utica with the title in tow on 04 April.

Photo Credit: 2023 Women’s World Championship – IIHF – HHOF – IOC