The IIHF Women’s World Championship is coming to Czechia for the first time in its history, as the reigning world champions Canada will look to conquer České Budějovice for their second straight Gold medal in the 24th edition of the tournament from 09-20 April, with all games held at Budvar Aréna.

Group A holds the same lineup as 2024, with hosts Czechia facing Canada, the United States, Switzerland and Finland in the top group, with the 13 April USA-Canada match surely to determine top of the group, in an almost-guaranteed preview of the Gold Medal Game. The host nation, however, will look to take their tremendous momentum over the past three years and supercharge it on home ice, looking to repeat the magic of the 2019 Finnish squad and play for something higher than Bronze. The aforementioned Finns, along with Switzerland, will surely look to regain their footing in the global women’s hockey order by taking the Czechs down a peg.

Group B sees Japan, Sweden and Germany welcoming the newly promoted Norway and Hungary, with only the top three squads qualifying for the medal rounds. While the promoted squads will surely push to remain in the Top Division, this seems unlikely, particularly for Norway, back at the top for the first time in nearly thirty years. The Japanese, Swedes and Germans, who earlier this year locked up the three remaining Olympic qualification spots for Milan, will look to build on their momentum (and potentially snag an upset in the quarterfinals) en route to next February.

Click here to see the full World Women’s Championship schedule

From the perspective of the IHLC, a few interesting facts related to this year’s Women’s World Championship, starting on 03 April:
– Canada enters as incumbent IHLC champions for the fourth straight year, and for the eighteenth time in tournament history (1990-2000, 2005, 2007-09, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022-24)– Canada is looking to win its second consecutive Gold for the first time since winning back-to-back in 2021 and 2022
– this will be the first time Czechia has hosted the tournament, and the first tournament hosted Europe since 2022; this is just the second tournament hosted in Central Europe, after Switzerland hosted in 2011
– this year’s tournament sees the return of Norway and Hungary to the Top Division for the first time since 1997 and 2023, respectively, replacing relegated China and Denmark in Group B
– Czechia will look to capture the IHLC for the first time on home ice, becoming just the sixth women’s national team to win the IHLC, and first since Russia in 2009
– all directorate and All-Star award winners from 2024’s will return to České Budějovice, including tournament MVP Laila Edwards and Top Forward Alex Carpenter (United States), Top Defender Renata Fast (Canada) and Top Goaltender Sandra Abstreiter (Germany)

Photo Credit: 2024 Women’s World Championship – IIHF – HHOF – IOC