New Era for Women's World Championship
Published on October 6, 2025 under Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) News Release
NEW YORK AND TORONTO -- The IIHF, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), and the global women's hockey community have come together to reimagine the international calendar, aligning around a shared vision to grow the women's game and strengthen opportunities for players at every level.
As part of this collaboration, the IIHF Women's World Championship will move to a new November timeslot, in advance of the PWHL season. The revised tournament calendar ensures there will be no clash with the closing stages of the PWHL campaign. It also enables a full World Championship program in Olympic seasons.
In addition, a new European Women's Championship is set to start in April 2027, creating more opportunities for elite international competition, ensuring the development of women players throughout the entire season, and elevating visibility for women's hockey across Europe.
"This was a complex situation to solve and we have reached a landmark moment for women's hockey," said IIHF President Luc Tardif. "The Women's World Championship is an important event for the growth of the game globally. Working together with the PWHL, we've developed a calendar that preserves the integrity of international competition while avoiding significant interruptions to the league season. This solution ensures that the PWHL players have the opportunity to represent their countries at the World Championship."
Best-on-best tournaments at World and Olympic level are vital to drive fandom for women's hockey at all levels, and the opportunity for European countries to stage top quality events brings greater visibility and inspiration for the women's hockey community.
"All parties determined that the success of the Women's World Championship is vital to the growth of women's hockey worldwide," IIHF Deputy Director General Ashley Ehlert said. "We, the member national associations, and the PWHL want to ensure that we have a successful and visible world championship. We also want to ensure that we have the very best players at the Women's World Championship."
"This collaboration marks an important step forward for our sport," said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations. "Working together with the IIHF and our partners globally, we're doing what's best to grow women's hockey, building a calendar that allows each major event to reach its full potential. The introduction of the European Women's Championship is another meaningful advancement for the international growth of the game. This unified approach is a win for the players, the fans, and the future of women's hockey."
The 2026 Women's World Championship top division will play in Denmark from Nov. 6-16. Herning, which jointly staged last year's men's world championship alongside Stockholm, will be one of the host cities, with a second venue to be decided. The women's lower divisions will still play in April 2026 as scheduled but will move to the November slot from 2027.
From now until 2032, there is a list of projected host nations for the IIHF Women's World Championship. After Denmark hosts in November 2026, Canada is due to stage the first of its three championships in Quebec City in November 2027. The Canadians are also set to hold the tournament in 2030 and 2032. The Women's Worlds are planned for Switzerland in November 2028, Sweden in 2029 and Finland in 2031.
The new European Championship, launching in April 2027, will bring additional hosting opportunities, while discussions continue about the tournament format and the number of competing nations.
Professional Women's Hockey League Stories from October 6, 2025
- Minnesota Frost Sign Forward Britta Curl-Salemme to a Two-Year Contract extension - Minnesota Frost
- PWHL Vancouver Signs First Round Pick Michelle Karvinen - Vancouver
- New Era for Women's World Championship - PWHL
- New York Sirens Sign Fourth Round Pick Dayle Ross - New York Sirens
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