Upcoming season or competition: 2026 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships | |
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1990; 35 years ago (1990), 1990 IIHF Women's World Championship |
| No. of teams |
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| Most recent champion |  United States (11th title) |
| Most titles |  Canada (13 titles) |
| Official website | IIHF.com |
TheIIHF Women's World Championship is the premier international women's tournament inice hockey. It is governed by theInternational Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
The official world competition was first held in1990, with four more championships held in the 90s.[1] From 1989 to 1996, and in years that there was no world tournament held, there wereEuropean Championships and in 1995 and 1996 aPacific Rim Championship. From the first Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Tournament in1998 onward, theOlympic tournament was played instead of the IIHF Championships. Afterwards, the IIHF decided to hold Women's Championships in Olympic years, starting in 2014, but not at the top level.[2] In September 2021, it was announced that the top division will also play during Olympic years and in August–September.[3]
Canada and theUnited States have dominated the Championship since its inception. Canada won gold at the first eight consecutive tournaments and the United States has won gold at eleven of the last sixteen tournaments. Both national teams placed either first or second every tournament until Canada's streak was broken at the2019 Championship.Finland is the third most successful World Championship team, having won fifteen bronze medals and one silver medal – achieved after breaking the Canadian gold-silver streak. Four other teams have medalled at a Women's World Championship:Russia, winning three bronze medals;Czech Republic andSweden, each winning two; andSwitzerland, winning one.
The women's tournament began as an eight-team tournament featuring Canada, the US, the top five from the1989 European Championships, and one Asian qualifier. The same formula was used for1992,1994, and1997, but changed following the firstOlympic women's ice hockey tournament at the1998 Nagano Olympics. The top five teams from the Olympic tournament qualified for the1999 World Championship, followed by the best three from final Olympic qualification rounds. Beginning in 1999, the championship became an annual tournament and the first divisional tournaments below the Top Division were played. Along with the creation of the lower divisions, a system ofpromotion and relegation was introduced, allowing for movement between all divisions.
After the2017 tournament, it was announced that tournament would expand to 10 teams for2019, having been played with 8 teams since the first tournament in1990, except in2004,2007,2008, and2009, where 9 teams played. The2004 edition featured 9 teams whenJapan was promoted from Division II but no team was relegated from the Top Division in2003, due to the cancellation of the top division tournament in China because of the outbreak of theSARS disease.[4] Two teams were relegated from the Top Division in2004, going back to 8 teams for2005, but due to the success of the 9-team pool in 2004,IIHF decided to expand again to 9 teams for2007.[5] IIHF reverted to 8 teams after the2009 tournament, and play continued in this format until the expansion of 2019.[6]
Initially, the tournament was an eight-team tournament divided into two groups, which playedround-robin. The top two from each group played off for the gold, and beginning in 1999 the bottom two played off to determine placement and relegation. In2004,2007,2008, and2009 the tournament was played with nine nations, using three groups of three playinground-robin. In this format first place from each group continued on to play for gold, second place from each group played for placement and an opportunity to still play for bronze, and the third place teams played off to determine relegation. Beginning in2011, the tournament changed the format to encourage more equal games. The top four seed nations played in Group A, where the top two teams got a bye to the semifinals, the bottom two go to the quarter-finals to face the top two finishers from Group B. The bottom two from Group B then play each other in a best of three to determine relegation. Beginning in2019 the tournament was expanded to ten teams, bringing with it a new format. The ten teams are divided into two groups of five and playround-robin. In this format, the five teams in Group A and the top three teams from Group B move into the Quarterfinals, seeded A1vsB3, A2vsB2, A3vsB1, and A4vsA5. The bottom two from Group B now play only one 9th place game and both get relegated. As of 2021, the four teams that lose their quarterfinal games enter into a knockout tournament to determine 5th place with the winner earning a spot in Group A for the next tournament,[7] though the 2024 tournament will not include these games.[8] From 2026 on, the ten teams will be put into two groups of five, with the top four teams advancing to the knockout stage while the last-placed teams will play out the relegated team. The tournaments will be moved from April to November each year (Lower divisions from 2027 on).[9]
Outside of the Top Division tournament, participating nations play in groups of no more than six teams. As of 2022[update], there are six group tiers across three divisions below the Top Division.[10]
Introduced in 1999 as a Division I tournament and Division I qualification tournament, the number of lower divisions rapidly expanded as more national teams gained admittance. By 2003 the lower tiers were formalized into tiered groups of six teams each, called Division I, Division II, and Division III, with promotion for the top team in each and relegation for the bottom team. By 2009 it had grown up to Division V, but in 2012 the titles were changed to match the men's tournaments; Division I became IA, Division II became IB, Division III became IIA, Division IV became IIB, and Division V became IIB Qualification. Promotion and relegation remained the same after the title changes.
The rules of play are essentially the same as used for themen's tournaments, with one key difference:body checking is not permitted in the women's tournaments. Body checking was allowed at the first championship in 1990 but has been assessed as aminor penalty at all subsequent tournaments.
In order to be eligible to compete in IIHF events, players must be under the jurisdiction of the governing body they are representing and must be a citizen of that country. Additionally, the player must be eighteen years old, or sixteen with a medical waiver, in the season the tournament takes place.[11]
| Country | Tournaments | First | Last | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Best finish (first/last) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 24 | 1990 | 2025 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 24 | 1st (1990/2024) |
| United States | 24 | 1990 | 2025 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 24 | 1st (2005/2025) |
 Finland | 24 | 1990 | 2025 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 2nd (2019) |
 Russia | 17 | 1997 | 2021 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3rd (2001/2016) |
 Czechia | 9 | 2013 | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3rd (2022/2023) |
 Sweden | 23 | 1990 | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3rd (2005/2007) |
 Switzerland | 21 | 1990 | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3rd (2012) |
 China | 12 | 1992 | 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4th (1994/1997) |
 Germany | 19 | 1990 | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4th (2017) |
 Japan | 13 | 1990 | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5th (2022) |
 Norway | 5 | 1990 | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6th (1990/1994) |
 Kazakhstan | 5 | 2001 | 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6th (2009) |
 Denmark | 4 | 1992 | 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7th (1992) |
 Slovakia | 2 | 2011 | 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7th (2011) |
 Hungary | 4 | 2021 | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8th (2022) |
 France | 2 | 2019 | 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10th (2019/2023) |
At most IIHF events, the tournament directorate awards the Best Forward, Best Defenceman, Best Goalkeeper and Most Valuable Player (MVP). At the Women's World Championship, these honours have been awarded in some combination since the first tournament, with the exception of 1997 and the cancelled tournaments in 2003 and 2020.
as of end of2025 IIHF Women's World Championship
| R | Team | App | C | F | 3 | 4 | GP | W | OTW | SOW | T | SOL | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 132 | 105 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 821 | 184 | +637 | 302 |
| 2 | Canada | 24 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 132 | 101 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 764 | 174 | +590 | 285 |
| 3 | Finland | 24 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 6 | 138 | 65 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 57 | 460 | 367 | +93 | 195 |
| 4 | Sweden | 23 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 117 | 51 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 46 | 356 | 358 | –2 | 162 |
| 5 | West Germany (1990) / Germany (1992–) | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 95 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 52 | 173 | 376 | –203 | 99 |
| 6 | Switzerland | 21 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 111 | 28 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 68 | 209 | 479 | –270 | 98 |
| 7 | Russia (1997–2019) / ROC (2021) | 17 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 89 | 29 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 50 | 179 | 387 | –208 | 89 |
| 8 | Czechia | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 55 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 134 | 143 | –9 | 83 |
| 9 | Japan | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 102 | 281 | –179 | 54 |
| 10 | China | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 55 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 128 | 249 | –121 | 44 |
| 11 | Norway | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 49 | 141 | –92 | 12 |
| 12 | Hungary | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 26 | 66 | –40 | 11 |
| 13 | Slovakia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 27 | –15 | 9 |
| 14 | Denmark | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 20 | 64 | –44 | 7 |
| 15 | Kazakhstan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 19 | 126 | –107 | 6 |
| 16 | France | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 42 | –30 | 2 |
| Year | Group B | Qualification for Group B | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host city/cities | Winner | Host city/cities | Winner | |||||||||
| 1999 | Colmar, France | Japan | Székesfehérvár, Hungary; Pyongyang, North Korea; Almaty, Kazakhstan |  Italy Kazakhstan | ||||||||
| 2000 | Riga andLiepāja, Latvia | Kazakhstan | Dunaújváros & Székesfehérvár, Hungary |  North Korea | ||||||||
| Division I | Division II | Division III | Division IV | Division V | ||||||||
| Host city | Winner | Host city/cities | Winner | Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | |||
| 2001 | Briançon, France | Switzerland | Qualification:Bucharest, Romania; Maribor, Slovenia |  Netherlands Slovakia | ||||||||
| 2003 | Ventspils, Latvia | Japan | Lecco, Italy | Norway | Maribor, Slovenia |  Australia | ||||||
| 2004 | Ventspils, Latvia | Kazakhstan | Sterzing, Italy | Denmark | Maribor, Slovenia |  Austria | ||||||
| 2005 | Romanshorn, Switzerland | Switzerland | Asiago, Italy | Norway | Cape Town, South Africa |  Slovenia | Dunedin, New Zealand |  South Korea | ||||
| 2007 | Nikkō, Japan | Japan | Pyongyang, North Korea | Slovakia | Sheffield, United Kingdom | Australia | Miercurea Ciuc, Romania |  Croatia | ||||
| 2008 | Ventspils, Latvia | Kazakhstan | Vierumäki, Finland | Austria | Miskolc, Hungary |  Great Britain | Miercurea Ciuc, Romania |  Iceland | ||||
| 2009 | Graz, Austria | Slovakia | Torre Pellice, Italy |  Latvia | ||||||||
| 2011 | Ravensburg, Germany | Germany | Caen, France | Czech Republic | Newcastle, Australia | Netherlands | Reykjavík, Iceland |  New Zealand | Sofia, Bulgaria |  Poland | ||
| Division I A | Division I B | Division II A | Division II B | Division II B Qualification | ||||||||
| Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | |||
| 2012 | Ventspils, Latvia | Czech Republic | Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom | Denmark | Maribor, Slovenia | North Korea | Seoul, South Korea | Poland | ||||
| 2013 | Stavanger, Norway | Japan | Strasbourg, France | France | Auckland, New Zealand | Hungary | Puigcerdà, Spain | South Korea | İzmir, Turkey |  Turkey | ||
| 2014 | Přerov, Czech Republic | Czech Republic | Ventspils, Latvia | Latvia | Dumfries, United Kingdom | Italy | Jaca, Spain | Croatia | Mexico City, Mexico |  Mexico | ||
| 2015 | Rouen, France | Czech Republic | Beijing, China | Slovakia | Asiago, Italy | Kazakhstan | Reykjavík, Iceland | Slovenia | Kowloon, Hong Kong | Turkey | ||
| 2016 | Aalborg, Denmark | Germany | Asiago, Italy | Hungary | Bled, Slovenia | Poland | Jaca, Spain | Australia | Sofia, Bulgaria |  Romania | ||
| 2017 | Graz, Austria | Japan | Katowice, Poland | Slovakia | Gangneung, South Korea | South Korea | Akureyri, Iceland | Mexico | Taipei, Taiwan |  Chinese Taipei | ||
| 2018 | Vaujany, France | France | Asiago, Italy | Italy | Maribor, Slovenia | Netherlands | Valdemoro, Spain |  Spain | Sofia, Bulgaria | Croatia | ||
| 2019 | Budapest, Hungary | Hungary | Beijing, China | Netherlands | Dumfries, United Kingdom | Slovenia | Brașov, Romania | Chinese Taipei | Cape Town, South Africa |  Ukraine | ||
| Division I A | Division I B | Division II A | Division II B | Division III | ||||||||
| Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | |||
| 2020 | [a] | [a] | [a] | Akureyri, Iceland | Australia | Sofia, Bulgaria |  South Africa | |||||
| 2021 | [a] | [a] | [a] | [a] | [a] | |||||||
| Division I A | Division I B | Division II A | Division II B | Division III A | Division III B | |||||||
| Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | Host city | Winner | |
| 2022 | Angers, France | France | Katowice, Poland | China | Jaca, Spain | Great Britain | Zagreb, Croatia | Iceland | Sofia, Bulgaria |  Belgium | Belgrade, Serbia |  Estonia |
| 2023 | Shenzhen, China | China | Suwon, South Korea | South Korea | Mexico City, Mexico | Latvia | Cape Town, South Africa | Belgium | Brașov, Romania |  Hong Kong | Tnuvot, Israel |  Serbia |
| 2024 | Klagenfurt, Austria | Norway | Riga, Latvia | Slovakia | Canillo, Andorra | Kazakhstan | Istanbul, Turkey | North Korea | Zagreb, Croatia | Ukraine | Kohtla-Järve, Estonia |  Thailand |
| 2025 | Shenzhen, China | Austria | Dumfries, Great Britain | Italy | Bytom, Poland | Spain | Dunedin, New Zealand | Australia | Belgrade, Serbia |  Lithuania | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina |  Bulgaria |
Notes:
The highest total attendance at a championship was 122,331 spectators at the2025 edition inČeské Budějovice, Czech Republic.[15] The highest attendance per game was 5,962 at the2007 edition inWinnipeg andSelkirk, Canada.[16]
| Year | Host country | Total attendance | Number of games | Attendance per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Czech Republic | 122,331 | 29 | 4,218 |
| 2007 | Canada † | 119,231 | 20 | 5,962 |
| 2013 | Canada | 98,155 | 21 | 4,674 |
| 2004 | Canada † | 89,461 | 20 | 4,473 |
| 2024 | United States | 68,112 | 29 | 2,349 |
| 1997 | Canada † | 60,418 | 20 | 3,021 |
| 2023 | Canada | 59,372 | 31 | 1,915 |
| 2000 | Canada † | 57,444 | 20 | 2,872 |
| 2019 | Finland | 51,247 | 29 | 1,767 |
| 2022 | Denmark | 43,160 | 31 | 1,393 |
Current champions (2025):  United States | |
| Tournaments | |
| Championships (Top Division) | |
| Qualification | |
| Division I | |
| Division II | |
| Division III | |
| World Championships |
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| Other competitions |
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| Awards and honors | |||||
| Related articles | |||||
