The 2026 World Championships were under question for time and location with the dawn of the PWHL and the 2026 Olympics in Italy this February. Those questions have been answered however as the IIHF announced that Denmark will host the 2026 World Championships from November 6-16 in Herning and a yet to be announced second city. Denmark is a recent host of the event holding the 2022 World Championships in Herning and Frederikshavn. The move gives Denmark an automatic berth into the tournament after they narrowly missed promotion from the Division 1A tournament, which was won by Austria. The tournament will feature 2025 gold medalists, USA, silver winners Canada, bronze medalists Finland, as well as returning nations Czechia, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, and Germany. Austria earned promotion, while Denmark receives the host bid. The 2026 tournament will also feature a shift in structure as the women's World Championship will shed the outdated tiered groups and instead feature two evenly balanced groups. More to come.
