2026 Winter Olympics Ice Hockey Excitement Begins

The much-anticipated 2026 Winter Olympics are still a few days away from officially kicking off with the opening ceremony on Friday, but action has already started in Italy.

Beginning Thursday, February 5th, the women’s ice hockey tournament will take center stage.

Canada claimed victory at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, securing their fifth gold medal in the women’s ice hockey category. They will enter the 2026 Winter Olympics as the reigning champions. Team USA, also a strong contender, has their eyes firmly set on the gold.

Expectations are high, emphasizing that “[A] Gold medals and gold medals only” is what Team USA aims for, as noted by four-time Olympian Kendall Coyne Schofield.

Hilary Knight, the captain and a five-time Olympian, has announced that the upcoming Olympics will be her last. She expressed a desire to end her career on a positive note. “Another gold medal would be great. I want to end my Olympic career on a high note, like the ending of a story,” she shared back in October.

Team USA’s roster features 11 players from their 2022 silver medal team and 21 from their 2025 women’s world championship team. However, there are also newcomers making waves, like 21-year-old defenseman Lyla Edwards, who will be the first black female player to represent the U.S. women’s hockey team at the Olympics.

A total of 10 teams, including the host nation Italy, have qualified for the women’s hockey tournament. The top five teams from the International Ice Hockey Federation’s rankings—Canada, the United States, Finland, Czech Republic, and Switzerland—are placed in Group A. Italy finds itself in Group B along with Japan, France, Sweden, and Germany, who made it through a qualifying tournament.

During the qualifying round, each team will face off against others in their group once.

All teams from Group A, along with the top three from Group B, will move on to the quarterfinals. After that, competition will shift to a knockout format.

Below is the full schedule for women’s ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, with all matches available on Peacock or NBCOlympics.com:

• Group B: Sweden vs. Germany, 6:10 a.m.
• Group B: Italy vs. France, 8:40 a.m.
• Group A: USA vs. Czech Republic, 10:40 a.m.
• Group A: Finland vs. Canada, 3:10 p.m.

• Group B: France vs. Japan, 6:10 a.m.
• Group A: Czech Republic vs. Switzerland, 8:40 a.m.

• Group B: Germany vs. Japan, 6:10 a.m.
• Group B: Sweden vs. Italy, 8:40 a.m.
• Group A: USA vs. Finland, 10:40 a.m.
• Group A: Switzerland vs. Canada, 3:10 p.m.

• Group B: France vs. Sweden, 10:40 a.m.
• Group A: Czech Republic vs. Finland, 3:10 p.m.

• Group B: Japan vs. Italy, 6:10 a.m.
• Group B: Germany vs. France, 10:40 a.m.
• Group A: Switzerland vs. USA, 2:40 p.m.
• Group A: Canada vs. Czech Republic, 3:10 p.m.

• Group B: Japan vs. Sweden, 6:10 a.m.
• Group B: Italy vs. Germany, 10:40 a.m.
• Group A: Canada vs. USA, 2:10 p.m.

• Quarterfinals: TBD vs. TBD, 10:40 a.m.
• Quarterfinals: TBD vs. TBD, 3:10 p.m.

• Quarterfinals: TBD vs. TBD, 10:40 a.m.
• Quarterfinals: TBD vs. TBD, 3:10 p.m.

• Semifinals: TBD vs. TBD, 10:40 a.m.
• Semifinals: TBD vs. TBD, 3:10 p.m.

• Bronze Medal Game: TBD vs. TBD, 8:40 a.m.
• Gold Medal Game: TBD vs. TBD, 1:10 p.m.