The schedule for the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship has been released, with the Danish cities of Herning and Esbjerg set to host for the first time since 2022, with Team USA looking to repeat as World Champions, along with doubling up on their 2026 Olympic Gold medal.

For the first time since 2011, the IIHF is reintroducing the serpentine system (similar to Men’s World and Junior tournaments) to the Women’s World Championships, given the closer parity between teams, meaning that Canada and the United States will not be able to meet until the medal round at the latest. This also means shifting away from the previous setup of each Group A team advancing to the medal round, along with the top three Group B teams, instead with the top four teams from each group moving to the medal round.

Group A will see the reigning champion United States leading the way in Esbjerg, taking on Czechia, Switzerland, Germany and newly-promoted Austria. While the aforementioned parity is certainly better than in previous years, this group is nearly a lock for the Americans to run the table, with the bigger question around who will form the middle of the group, with the Czechs, despite the loss of head coach Carla MacLeod, looking to continue their usual fight for Bronze.

Group B in Herning will see the host Danes, only promoted last year from Division IA, taking on perennial powerhouses Canada and Finland, with Sweden and Japan rounding out the group. An offseason removed from heartbreaking overtime losses to Team USA at both the Worlds and Olympics, and with a new coaching staff in place, the Canadians will look to reassert their dominance over the hockey world, as they too will likely top the group. The Finns will be battling with their Scandinavian rivals Sweden and Denmark to keep second spot, while Japan will likely fight with the hosts over avoiding the dreaded relegation game.

The tournament schedule is as follows:

With the World Championships set to commence during the first IIHF international break of the 2026-27 season, there is a good chance that Team USA will carry the IHLC from the Milan Games to Denmark, likely taking the title into the Worlds, pending any early November exhibition losses in the lead-up to their opening match against the Swiss on 06 November.

Photo Credit: 2025 Women’s World Championship – IIHF – HHOF – IOC