The 2026 Olympic women's hockey tournament is already well underway, but athletes got their formal introduction to the Olympic Games as athletes from the 10 competing nations marched in the Olympic opening ceremonies.
Athletes from all 10 nations competing in the 2026 Olympic women's hockey tournament marched into Milan's San Siro Stadium with close to 80,000 fans and participants involved in the Olympic Opening Ceremonies.
Every nation aside from Canada and Finland who had their opening game postponed due to a Norovirus outbreak in the Finnish roster, has opened women's hockey tournament play.
While athletes were spread across multiple locations for the opening ceremonies, the women's hockey athletes all entered the main stadium in Milan for the Parade of Athletes.
No women's hockey players were selected as flag bearers for their nation although several men's hockey players including Leon Draisaitl (Germany), David Pastrnak (Czechia), Jesper Jensen Aabo (Denmark), Mikko Lehtonen (Finland), Kaspars Daugavins (Latvia), Tomas Tatar (Slovakia), and Nino Neiderreiter (Switzerland) were all chosen as flag bearers.
Members of Canada's Olympic women's hockey team enter San Siro Stadium for the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics - © Amber Searls-Imagn ImagesThe Opening Ceremonies started with displays of art, music, popular culture, and history highlighting Italy's most famed contributions to society.
Canada is the reigning Olympic women's hockey gold medalists winning gold at the 2022 Games in Beijing, beating USA who won silver, while Finland beat Switzerland for the bronze medal.
Since the 1998 Olympics women women's hockey was first introduced in Nagano, Japan, Canada has won five of seven gold medals. USA won gold in 1998 and 2018 and enter as the favorites for gold in 2026.
Finland who has four bronze medals in history is considered the favorite to again win bronze at the 2026 tournament. Starting in Group B, Sweden is unlikely to be able to earn a shot at a medal, but the nation is the only other women's hockey country with multiple medals winning silver in 2006 and bronze in 2002. Switzerland won their only medal, a bronze in 2014.
This year the bronze and gold medals will be handed out February 19, 2026.