Guide for the Hockey World Cup: Playing for the first Swedish medal in 19 years
Guide to the Women's Ice Hockey World Championship in Denmark
Quick Look
- The Women's Hockey World Cup will be played in Denmark 6–16 November with matches in Esbjerg and Herning.
- The tournament introduces a new group division where teams are ranked for more even groups.
- Sweden opens against Canada on November 6.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Women's Ice Hockey World Cup has previously had a group division based on ranking to avoid large goal differences. The tournament has been moved from spring to November starting in 2025.
When? The Women's Hockey World Cup begins on Friday, November 6 and ends on Monday, November 16.
Where? Denmark hosts the championship and the two host cities are Esbjerg and Herning. Tre Kronor ladies will play their group stage matches in Herning. It is also in Herning that both semi-finals as well as the final and the bronze match will be played.
First WC with new groups
For many years, the Women's World Cup has consisted of two groups, with the five highest-ranked teams playing in Group A and the five lowest-ranked teams in Group B. This was introduced because for many years the differences between the best and worst teams were so great that all too often there were double-digit wins in the group stage for Canada and the United States.
The USA and Canada are admittedly still in a class of their own, but the European teams have at least narrowed the gap, and as of this year's World Cup, the group division will therefore be redone.
The world number one ends up in one group, the world number two in the other and so on.
The group division
Group A
USA, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Austria
Group B
Canada, Finland, Sweden, Japan, Denmark
Sweden's group stage matches
Friday 6/11, 3 p.m
Sweden-Canada
Sunday 8/11, 3 p.m
Sweden-Finland
Tuesday 10/11, 19.00
Sweden-Denmark
Wednesday 11/11, 19.00
Sweden-Japan
That's how the playoffs are decided
All four quarter-finals will be played on Friday 13/11. The two semi-finals will be decided on Sunday 15/11 and the final and the bronze match will be decided on Monday 16/11.
Previously, all five teams from Group A and the best three from Group B progressed to the quarter-finals, but from this year's World Cup, it is the four best in each group who get to play in the quarter-finals.
How did it go in the last WC?
In the 2025 World Cup, the final between the USA and Canada was a real thriller that was decided in extra time. The USA won 4–3 after Tessa Janecke scored the winning goal.
For Sweden, it came to an end in the quarter-finals against Finland after Finland won 3–2.
According to tradition, the women's WC is usually decided in the spring, but starting this year it will be played in November.
Latest Swedish championship medal
It has been 19 years since Sweden last won a championship medal. In 2007, Tre Kronor won women's WC bronze, and it is worth noting that the new national team captain Erika Holst was one of the players.
The long medal drought was close to being broken at the Olympics in Milan in February. In the bronze medal match against Switzerland, Sweden was leading 2–1, but Switzerland came back and with 50 seconds left in regular time, Switzerland's Alina Müller scored the 2–1 goal.
However, the effort in the Olympics showed that Sweden has taken big steps forward, and has the capacity to interfere in the medal battle in the WC in Denmark.
Tv
SVT broadcasts all of Sweden's matches.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Sweden will play the quarter-finals on November 13.
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- How will the new group division affect the final result?
