2026 Women's World Hockey Championship: new format, Russia's absence, and the favorites' disputed uniforms

New format and timing

The 2026 IIHF Women's World Championship, taking place in Denmark from November 6 to 16, has become the first tournament in history to move from the traditional spring schedule to November. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) made this decision to align with the calendar of the North American Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), whose season only begins in December. This change allows the world's best players to take part in the championship without a break in their club season, which, according to IIHF President Franz Reindl, creates a unique advantage for women's hockey. In addition, the playoff format has been changed: now four teams instead of five advance from each of the two groups to the quarterfinals, and the United States and Canadian national teams, traditionally dominant in the tournament, have been placed in different groups so that their head-to-head meeting cannot occur in the early stages.

The question of Russia's participation and the sporting battle

Despite the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling of October 30, 2026, obliging the IIHF to admit the Russian national team to tournaments in the 2026–2027 season, the Russian team's participation in the current World Championship is ruled out. According to clarifications, the court's decision does not apply to the November 2026 tournament, and the obligation to include Russia only takes effect for the 2027 championship in Quebec. In Russia's absence, the favorites remain the United States and Canadian national teams, which have divided between themselves all the tournament's titles since 1990 and all Olympic gold medals since 1998. The only teams considered capable of breaking this dominance are Finland, the only country besides the North American giants to have reached a final, and Switzerland, which won bronze at the most recent Olympic Games.

Uniforms and commercial disputes

One of the notable features of the tournament will be the absence of national emblems on the uniforms of the United States and Canadian teams due to an ongoing dispute over commercial rights. Hockey Canada confirmed that players will wear jerseys from the True Hockey brand rather than the traditional Bauer equipment with the national team logo. Similarly, USA Hockey announced that its players will also take the ice in uniforms without the national crest. The Canadian federation's statement notes that, despite the visual changes, the team remains focused on the tournament and on pride in their country.