Canada-Czechia and USA-Denmark Headline Women's Worlds Quarter-Finals

The preliminary stage has ended, locking in the quarter-final matchups for the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Friday’s schedule opens with two early matches as Canada takes on Czechia and Finland battles Germany. Later in the day, the United States will face Denmark while Sweden plays against Switzerland.

Canada enters the next phase aiming to maintain a flawless record after sweeping through the preliminary round. The Canadians outscored their initial three opponents by a combined tally of 24 to 1 before securing a 2-0 victory against Finland to close out the round-robin. Forward Caitlin Kraemer noted that the encounter with Finland demanded a high level of intensity and aggressiveness from the squad. Forward Jessie Eldridge currently paces the Canadian roster with seven points across four games, while goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens boasts strong defensive numbers with a 0.50 goals-against average and a .974 save percentage.

Canada Czechia Quarter Final Clash

Standing in Canada's way is a Czech team that finished fourth in Group A. Czechia's tournament path included an opening win over Austria, an overtime defeat to Switzerland, a shootout loss to Germany, and an 8-1 loss to the United States. Forward Katerina Mrazova leads her national side with four points, and teammate Kristyna Kaltounkova emphasized the importance of maintaining a competitive mindset during the upcoming game.

Meanwhile, the defending champion United States secured the top spot in Group A with an undefeated record, outscoring opponents by a massive margin during the group phase. American blueliner Caroline Harvey leads the entire tournament with nine points, and forward Hilary Knight has netted six goals. The Americans will now prepare to meet Denmark, a team that earned its lone round-robin victory through a shootout against Japan.

The preliminary round of the women's world championship is finished, with high-stakes quarter-finals scheduled.

Following Friday's quarter-final contests, the tournament moves to the semifinals on Sunday, culminating in the gold and bronze medal matches on Monday.

Why it matters

These matchups determine which national teams advance closer to the championship podium, setting the stage for the final medal games of the international tournament.