The 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship Division I tournaments concluded on April 18, 2026, with major shifts in the international rankings as France and the Netherlands secured key promotions.
France celebrates a return to the Top Division while the Netherlands secures their spot in Division I-A
Division I, Group A (Budapest, Hungary)
France emerged victorious in a highly competitive field to return to the Top Division for 2027.
Final Standings
Rank
Team
Points
Status
1
France
12
Promoted to Top Division
2
Slovakia
9
Stay
3
Hungary (H)
8
Stay
4
Italy
7
Stay
5
Norway
6
Stay
6
China
3
Relegated to Div I, Group B
Tournament Highlights
The Decisive Final: France clinched gold in a de facto final on the last day, defeating Slovakia 3–1. Despite being outshot 27–16, French goaltender Alice Philbert stood tall to secure the promotion.
A Balanced Attack: France relied on a deep roster, with Estelle Duvin (9 points) and Clara Rozier (8 points) leading the charge.
Tough Luck for China: After being relegated from the Top Division recently, China struggled in Budapest and finished last, resulting in a second consecutive relegation.
Directorate Awards
Best Goalkeeper: Aniko Nemeth (Hungary)
Best Defender: Nadia Mattivi (Italy)
Best Forward: Estelle Duvin (France)
Division I, Group B (Puigcerda, Spain)
The Netherlands dominated the group in Spain, showcasing their growth in the European circuit.
Final Standings
Rank
Team
Points
Status
1
Netherlands
13
Promoted to Div I, Group A
2
Great Britain
11
Stay
3
Kazakhstan
7
Stay
4
South Korea
7
Stay
5
Latvia
4
Stay
6
Spain (H)
3
Relegated to Div II, Group A
Tournament Highlights
Dutch Dominance: The Netherlands finished with a nearly perfect record (4–0–1–0), allowing only 4 goals across 5 games.Maree Dijkemaled the tournament in scoring with 10 points.
Great Britain’s Surge: The Brits put up a valiant effort, securing the silver medal with 11 points, including two overtime victories that kept them in the hunt until the final day.
Host Nation Struggle: In their Division I, Group B debut, Spain fought hard but managed only one win (3 points), leading to their relegation back to Division II.
The 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division II, Group B concluded yesterday, April 5, with the host nation Hong Kong securing a historic gold medal and promotion.
The tournament was a significant turnaround for Hong Kong, who finished 5th just a year ago, while Lithuania made a major statement by taking silver immediately after being promoted from Division III.
Hong Kong women’ on the rise.
Final Standings
Rank
Team
Record (W-OTW-OTL-L)
Points
Status
1
Hong Kong (H)
5-0-0-0
15
Promoted to 2027 Div IIA
2
Lithuania
3-1-0-1
11
Silver Medal
3
Ukraine
3-0-1-1
10
Bronze Medal
4
New Zealand
2-0-0-3
6
5
Mexico
1-0-0-4
3
6
Belgium
0-0-0-5
0
Relegated to 2027 Div IIIA
Tournament Highlights
The “Mok Wall”: Hong Kong goaltender Keira Mok was the undisputed star of the tournament.She won all four of her starts, posting shutouts against Mexico and New Zealand.She finished with a staggering 97.73% save percentage and was named the tournament’s Best Goaltender.
Final Day Drama: Hong Kong’s toughest test came in their final game against Belgium. Despite Belgium being winless, they pushed the hosts to a 6-4 finish. Renee Ng led the charge for Hong Kong with 7 goals throughout the week, including two in the finale.
Silver Shootout: The battle for silver came down to a shootout between Lithuania and Ukraine.Lithuania prevailed 3-2, with Emilija Tuciute (named Best Defender) scoring a critical shootout goal to secure the second-place finish.
Top Scorer: Ukraine’s Valeria Manchak led the tournament in scoring with 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) and was named the Best Forward by the IIHF directorate.
The greatest rivalry in women’s sports returns to the ultimate stage. On Thursday, February 19, 2026, Canada and the United States will meet in the gold medal game of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
This matchup marks the 7th time in 8 Olympic tournaments that these two nations have battled for gold. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the puck drop.
Game Info & How to Watch
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Time: 19:10 CET (Local) / 1:10 PM ET / 10:10 AM PT
Venue: Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena
Broadcast: USA Network/Peacock (USA), CBC/TSN (Canada)
The State of the Rivalry
While Canada enters as the defending Olympic champion (Beijing 2022), the United States arrives as the heavy favorite based on recent form.
Preliminary Statement: In their group-stage meeting on February 10, the U.S. delivered a historic 5-0 shutout against Canada. It was the largest margin of victory in their Olympic history and the first time Canada has ever been shut out in an Olympic game.
The “Poulin Factor”: Canada played that preliminary loss without captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who was sidelined with an injury. She returned for the playoffs and recently became the all-time leading Olympic goal scorer (20 goals) during Canada’s 2-1 semifinal win over Switzerland.
U.S. Dominance: The Americans have been flawless, outscoring opponents 31-1 through six games. They are currently on a record-breaking shutout streak of over 331 minutes, led by goaltender Aerin Frankel, who has three shutouts in this tournament alone.
Clash of the titans
Players to Watch
Team
Player
Why They Matter
USA
Aerin Frankel
Has allowed only one goal all tournament; the backbone of the U.S. defense.
USA
Caroline Harvey
The tournament’s top-scoring defenseman; elite at transition and power-play puck movement.
CAN
Marie-Philip Poulin
Known as “Captain Clutch” for scoring in four different Olympic gold medal games.
CAN
Anne-Renée Desbiens
Will need a legendary performance to match the U.S. fire-power and keep Canada in the game.
Historical Context
Olympic Gold Medals: Canada (5), USA (2).
Recent History: The U.S. has won seven straight games against Canada dating back to the 2025 World Championships.
The Streak: The only time these two did not meet in the final was 2006—also held in Italy—when Sweden upset the U.S. in the semifinals.
The Bottom Line: The U.S. looks invincible, but Canada specializes in winning the one game that matters most. With Poulin back in the lineup and the “underdog” tag firmly on their backs, the Canadians will be looking to spoil the American’s perfect run.
Based on recent performances in the preliminary rounds and the semifinals in Milan, here are the projected starting lineups and line combinations for the gold medal game.
The big news for Canada is the return of Marie-Philip Poulin to the top unit after she missed time earlier in the tournament. For the U.S., they are expected to stick with the “Minnesota Line” and the dominant goaltending of Aerin Frankel.
Team Canada Projected Lineup
Head Coach Troy Ryan has leaned into veteran experience while rewarding the scoring touch of newcomer Daryl Watts.
Unit
Left Wing
Center
Right Wing
Line 1
Emma Maltais
Marie-Philip Poulin
Natalie Spooner
Line 2
Daryl Watts
Sarah Nurse
Sarah Fillier
Line 3
Emily Clark
Blayre Turnbull
Laura Stacey
Line 4
Julia Gosling
Kristin O’Neill
Brianne Jenner
Defense Pairings
Left Defense
Right Defense
Pair 1
Jocelyne Larocque
Renata Fast
Pair 2
Ella Shelton
Erin Ambrose
Pair 3
Claire Thompson
Sophie Jaques
Starting Goaltender:Ann-Renée Desbiens (Confirmed as the primary starter for medal games).
Team USA Projected Lineup
Coach John Wroblewski has kept his forward lines remarkably consistent throughout their record-breaking shutout streak.
Unit
Left Wing
Center
Right Wing
Line 1
Alex Carpenter
Tessa Janecke
Hilary Knight
Line 2
Kendall Coyne Schofield
Taylor Heise
Abbey Murphy
Line 3
Hannah Bilka
Kelly Pannek
Grace Zumwinkle
Line 4
Joy Dunne
Kirsten Simms
Britta Curl-Salemme
Defense Pairings
Left Defense
Right Defense
Pair 1
Megan Keller
Laila Edwards
Pair 2
Caroline Harvey
Haley Winn
Pair 3
Lee Stecklein
Cayla Barnes
Starting Goaltender:Aerin Frankel (Currently on a historic Olympic shutout streak).
Lineup Notes to Watch
The Goalie Duel: This game features a battle between the veteran Desbiens, who has been in this pressure cooker many times, and Frankel, who has been mathematically the best goalie in the world over the last two weeks.
Canada’s “Bottom Six”: Interestingly, Canada’s 4th line (O’Neill, Jenner, Gosling) has been more productive than their top lines at times during this tournament. Watch for them to get extra shifts if the top guns are neutralized early.
U.S. Blue Line Offense: Unlike Canada, the U.S. gets a massive portion of its scoring from the defense, specifically Caroline Harvey. Canada will likely task the Turnbull/Stacey line with shadowing her to prevent clean breakouts.
