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The United States and Canada appear headed for another decisive showdown in women's hockey.
The sport's preeminent powers rolled through the group stage at the IIHF Women's World Championship with perfect records and only one close game for either, a 2-0 Canada win over Finland. Team USA outscored its Group A opponents 31-2, while Canada had a 26-1 goal-scoring edge in Group B.
The top challengers would appear to be Sweden and Germany, whose only group-stage losses came to Canada and the U.S., respectively, but all signs point to another decisive matchup between the North American rivals.
The U.S. and Canada have played for the gold in all but one instance of the Women's Worlds, which began in 1990. The exception was 2019, when Finland stunned Canada in the semis before falling to the U.S. in a shootout in the final.
Each of the last two finals has ended in overtime, with Team USA winning last year and Canada in 2024. Who will bring home the gold from Denmark in 2026?
Here's all you need to know to watch.
Where to watch IIHF Women's World Championship 2026
Select IIHF Women's World Championship games will air on NHL Network in the United States, and fans can stream those broadcasts live on Fubo. See the full game schedule below.
Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)
TSN channels will broadcast every game in Canada, with streaming available via TSN.ca.
IIHF World Championship playoff bracket 2026
The top four teams from Group A and Group B have advanced to the quarterfinals, which will be played in a crossover format. The first-place team in Group A plays the fourth-place team in Group B, and so on. Teams will be re-seeded after the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals
- USA (A1) vs. Denmark (B4)
- Sweden (B2) vs. Switzerland (A3)
- Canada (B1) vs. Czechia (A4)
- Germany (A2) vs. Finland (B3)
IIHF Women's World Championship playoffs schedule, scores
Friday, Nov. 13
| Relegation game: Japan vs. Austria | 5 a.m. | TSN1, TSN.ca |
| QF: Canada vs. Czechia | 9 a.m. | NHL Network, Fubo, TSN1, TSN.ca |
| QF: Germany vs. Finland | 9 a.m. | TSN4, TSN.ca |
| QF: USA vs. Denmark | 1 p.m. | NHL Network, Fubo, TSN1, TSN.ca |
| QF: Sweden vs. Switzerland | 1 p.m. | TSN4, TSN.ca |
Sunday, Nov. 15
| Semifinal 1 | 9 a.m. | NHL Network, Fubo, TSN4, TSN.ca |
| Semifinal 2 | 1 p.m. | NHL Network, Fubo, TSN4, TSN.ca |
Monday, Nov. 16
| Bronze medal game | 9 a.m. | NHL Network, Fubo, TSN1/4, TSN.ca |
| Gold medal game | 1 p.m. | NHL Network, Fubo, TSN1/4, TSN.ca |
IIHF Women's World Championship standings 2026
Group A standings
| USA | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Germany | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Switzerland | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Czechia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Austria | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group B standings
| Canada | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Sweden | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Finland | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Denmark | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Japan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
IIHF Women's World Championship winners, medalists
Here are the medal-winners from the last 10 editions of Women's Worlds. There was no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19, nor in 2018 or 2014 because of the Olympics.
| 2025 | USA | Canada | Finland |
| 2024 | Canada | USA | Finland |
| 2023 | USA | Canada | Czechia |
| 2022 | Canada | USA | Czechia |
| 2021 | Canada | USA | Finland |
| 2019 | USA | Finland | Canada |
| 2017 | USA | Canada | Finland |
| 2016 | USA | Canada | Russia |
| 2015 | USA | Canada | Finland |
| 2013 | USA | Canada | Russia |
