While we’re only a few months removed from the Paris 2024 Olympics, the next Winter Games really aren’t that far away.
Kicking off on February 6, 2026, the Milano-Cortina Games are expected to see 116 events take place over 16 different sports.
For many Canadians, there are few events more exciting than the men’s and women’s Olympic hockey tournaments taking place every four years, with Canada trying to stamp its place as the world’s top power in the country’s favourite sport.
Canada is the defending women’s gold medal winner, while the men fell in the quarterfinals to Sweden in 2022, though the tournament notably did not feature any current NHL players.
But while Canada hasn’t had much trouble qualifying for the Olympics in hockey in recent memory — they’re pretty much always guaranteed an automatic spot due to their IIHF World Ranking on the men’s and women’s sides — the same can’t be said for many other countries.
Eleven men’s countries have already scooped up the 12 spots on the men’s side, with Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, Germany, Czechia, Denmark, Latvia, Slovakia, and the United States having guaranteed a spot.
Russia is also a provisional attendee but could be replaced by France if the IIHF decides against its participation. Athletes are currently not banned from competing in international championships through 2025, despite Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine.
On the women’s side, however, things are much more open, with 12 teams still vying for three open spots in the 10-team tournament.
Canada, the United States, Finland, Czechia, Switzerland, and Italy have all made it, with Russia having the same provisional inclusion, again potentially being replaced by another team from the Olympic qualification process.
Over the weekend, Poland, the Netherlands, and Slovakia all topped three separate preliminary qualification tournaments, retaining their chances at making the 2026 Olympics.
Here are the 12 teams still vying for spots in the women’s tournament, as well as their best-ever performances in women’s hockey at the Olympics:
- France: never competed
- Poland: never competed
- Norway: never competed
- Netherlands: never competed
- Hungary: never competed
- Austria: never competed
- Japan: sixth place (1998, 2018, 2022)
- China: fourth place (1998)
- Sweden: silver medal (2006)
- Denmark: 10th place (2022)
- Germany: fifth place (2006)
- Slovakia: eighth place (2010)
The 12 teams will find out their fates in qualifying tournaments taking place from February 6 to 9 in Japan, Sweden, and Germany.
Split into three-team groups, the winner of each round-robin will advance to the 2026 Winter Games in Italy. And while the host countries or those with some Olympic pedigree might have a step up, it would be nice to see a few new faces make their way to the sport’s biggest stage.