Women’s world hockey championship shifted to November, European tournament launches in 2027

By Canadian Press on October 6, 2025.

ZURICH (AP) — The women’s international hockey calendar is changing with the IIHF permanently shifting its annual world championships from April to November next year and launching a European women’s championship tournament in 2027.

The European tournament was announced Monday by the International Ice Hockey Federation and PWHL, who collaborated “to reimagine the international calendar, aligning around a shared vision to grow the women’s game and strengthen opportunities for players at every level.” The worlds decision was announced last week.

By shifting the world championships to November, the tournament will now serve as a lead-in to the start of the PWHL season in North America. Previously in its first two seasons, the league had to include a three-week pause in its schedule to account for the tournament in April.

The newly expanded eight-team PWHL will open its third season Nov. 21 and run through April 25 before opening the playoffs. The league had to factor in a four-week break to account for the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February.

“This collaboration marks an important step forward for our sport,” PWHL vice president Jayna Hefford said. “This unified approach is a win for the players, the fans, and the future of women’s hockey.”

Denmark will host next year’s tournament followed by Quebec City the following year.

The launch of the European championship was done to create more opportunities for international competition and further promote the women’s game in Europe. The tournament will launch in April 2027, following the various European women’s league playoffs, with further details to be determined later.

“This was a complex situation to solve and we have reached a landmark moment for women’s hockey,” IIHF President Luc Tardif said. “The Women’s World Championship is an important event for the growth of the game globally. … Working together with the PWHL, we’ve developed a calendar that preserves the integrity of international competition while avoiding significant interruptions to the league season.”

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

The Associated Press

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