IIHF World Women's Championship

The IIHF World Women's Championship, officially the IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship, is the premier international tournament in women's ice hockey. It is governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

For the world men's championships, see Ice Hockey World Championships.
IIHF World Women's Championship
Most recent season or competition:
2023 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships
SportIce hockey
Founded1990 (1990),
1990 IIHF Women's World Championship
No. of teams
  • 10 in Top Division
  • 12 in Division I
  • 10 in Division II
  • 7 in Division III
Most recent
champion(s)		 United States (10th title)
Most titles Canada (12 titles)
Official websiteIIHF.com

The official world competition was first held in 1990, with four more championships held in the 90s.[1] From 1989 to 1996, and in years that there was no world tournament held, there were European Championships and in 1995 and 1996 a Pacific Rim Championship. From the first Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Tournament in 1998 onward, the Olympic 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.[3]

Canada and the United 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 ten of the last fourteen tournaments. Both national teams placed either first or second every tournament until Canada's streak was broken at the 2019 Championship. Finland is the third most successful World Championship team, having won thirteen 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 and Sweden, each winning two; and Switzerland, winning one.

Structure and qualification

The women's tournament began as an eight-team tournament featuring Canada, the US, the top five from the 1989 European Championships, and one Asian qualifier. The same formula was used for 1992, 1994, and 1997, but changed following the first Olympic women's ice hockey tournament at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. The top five teams from the Olympic tournament qualified for the 1999 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 of promotion and relegation was introduced, allowing for movement between all divisions.

After the 2017 tournament, it was announced that tournament would expand to 10 teams for 2019, having been played with 8 teams since the first tournament in 1990, except in 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2009, where 9 teams played. The 2004 edition featured 9 teams when Japan was promoted from Division II but no team was relegated from the Top Division in 2003, due to the cancellation of the top division tournament in China because of the outbreak of the SARS disease.[4] Two teams were relegated from the Top Division in 2004, going back to 8 teams for 2005, but due to the success of the 9-team pool in 2004, IIHF decided to expand again to 9 teams for 2007.[5] IIHF reverted to 8 teams after the 2009 tournament, and play continued in this format until the expansion of 2019.[6]

Championship format

Initially, the tournament was an eight-team tournament divided into two groups, which played round-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. In 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2009 the tournament was played with nine nations, using three groups of three playing round-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 in 2011, 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 in 2019 the tournament was expanded to ten teams, bringing with it a new format. The ten teams are divided into two groups of five and play round-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]

Lower divisions

Outside of the Top Division tournament, participating nations play in groups of no more than six teams. As of 2022, there are six group tiers across three divisions below the Top Division.[8]

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.

Rules and eligibility
See also: Ice hockey rules

The rules of play are essentially the same as used for the men'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 a minor 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.[9]

Tournaments
Year Host city/cities Final Third place match
Champions Score Runners-up Third place Score Fourth place
1990 Canada Ottawa
Canada		 5–2
United States
Finland		 6–3
Sweden
1992 Finland Tampere
Canada		 8–0
United States
Finland		 5–4
Sweden
1994 United States Lake Placid
Canada		 6–3
United States
Finland		 8–1
China
1997 Canada Kitchener
Canada		 4–3
(OT)
United States
Finland		 3–0
China
1998 Competition not held during 1998 Olympics
1999 Finland Espoo/Vantaa
Canada		 3–1
United States
Finland		 8–2
Sweden
2000 Canada Mississauga
Canada		 3–2
(OT)
United States
Finland		 7–1
Sweden
2001 United States Minneapolis
Canada		 3–2
United States
Russia		 2–1
Finland
2002 Competition not held during 2002 Olympics
2003 Competition at top level was cancelled due to SARS outbreak in China
2004 Canada Halifax/Dartmouth
Canada		 2–0
United States
Finland		 3–2
Sweden
2005 Sweden Linköping/Norrköping
United States		 1–0
(SO)
Canada
Sweden		 5–2
Finland
2006 Competition not held during 2006 Olympics
2007 Canada Winnipeg/Selkirk
Canada		 5–1
United States
Sweden		 1–0
Finland
2008 China Harbin
United States		 4–3
Canada
Finland		 4–1
Switzerland
2009 Finland Hämeenlinna
United States		 4–1
Canada
Finland		 4–1
Sweden
2010 Competition not held during 2010 Olympics
2011 Switzerland Zürich/Winterthur
United States		 3–2
(OT)
Canada
Finland		 3–2
(OT)
Russia
2012 United States Burlington
Canada		 5–4
(OT)
United States
Switzerland		 6–2
Finland
2013 Canada Ottawa
United States		 3–2
Canada
Russia		 2–0
Finland
2014 Competition not held at top level during 2014 Olympics
2015 Sweden Malmö
United States		 7–5
Canada
Finland		 4–1
Russia
2016 Canada Kamloops
United States		 1–0
(OT)
Canada
Russia		 1–0
(SO)
Finland
2017 United States Plymouth
United States		 3–2
(OT)
Canada
Finland		 8–0
Germany
2018 Competition not held at top level during 2018 Olympics
2019 Finland Espoo
United States		 2–1
(SO)
Finland
Canada		 7–0
Russia
2020 Competition at top level, Division I, and Division II Group A was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Canada Calgary
Canada		 3–2
(OT)
United States
Finland		 3–1
Switzerland
2022 Denmark Herning/Frederikshavn
Canada		 2–1
United States
Czechia		 4–2
Switzerland
2023 Canada Brampton
United States		 6–3
Canada
Czechia		 3–2
Switzerland
2024 United States Utica, New York
2025 Czech Republic TBD [10]
2026 Canada TBD [11]
2027
2028
2029
2030 Canada TBD [11]

Participation and medals
CountryTournamentsFirstLastGoldSilverBronzeTotalBest finish (first/last)
 Canada22199020231291221st (1990/2022)
 United States221990202310120221st (2005/2023)
 Finland22199020230113142nd (2019)
 Russia171997202100333rd (2001/2016)
 Czechia82013202300223rd (2022/2023)
 Sweden211990202300223rd (2005/2007)
  Switzerland181990202300113rd (2012)
 China111992200900004th (1994/1997)
 Germany171990202300004th (2017)
 Japan101990202300005th (2022)
 Norway41990199700006th (1990/1994)
 Kazakhstan42001201100006th (2009)
 Denmark31992202200007th (1992)
 Slovakia22011201200007th (2011)
 Hungary32021202300008th (2022)
 France220192023000010th (2019/2023)

Awards
Main article: List of IIHF Women's World Championship Directorate award winners

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.

Lower division tournaments
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 and Liepāja, Latvia  Kazakhstan Dunaújváros and 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 Angers, France [a] Katowice, Poland [a] Jaca, Spain [a] Akureyri, Iceland  Australia Sofia, Bulgaria  South Africa
2021 Angers, France [a] Beijing, China [a] Jaca, Spain [a] Zagreb, Croatia [a] Kaunas, Lithuania [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 Suwon, South Korea  South Korea Mexico City, Mexico  Latvia Cape Town, South Africa  Belgium Brașov, Romania  Hong Kong Tnuvot, Israel  Serbia

Notes:

  • a Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

See also

References
  1. "IIHF World Women's Championships". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  2. Merk, Martin (17 December 2010). "New era of women's hockey". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  3. "Women's Worlds in Olympic years". IIHF.com. 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  4. Merk, Martin. "Women's Worlds grow". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  5. "The IIHF Annual Congress made the following decisions in Riga during its session on May 19" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. June 2006. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  6. "World Women's back to eight teams". iihf.com. International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  7. "IIHF - Standings 2021 IIHF – Ice Hockey Women's World Championship". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation.
  8. Montroy, Liz (22 March 2022). "A tournament of firsts". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  9. "IIHF Statutes and Bylaws, sections 406, 616, and 900" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2015.
  10. Roy, Christophe. "And 2027 goes to …". IIHF. Retrieved 10 October 2023. 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship has been allocated to Czechia
  11. Potts, Andy. "Recap: 2023 IIHF – Semi-Annual Congress". IIHF. Retrieved 10 October 2023.

Works cited
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