Six months to the women’s hockey tournament at OWG

Group B

France
The French beat Poland and China at its Olympic qualifier in February but dropped a critical game 7-1 to Japan. That meant France finished second in the event but still qualified for the Olympics thanks to its combined ranking from the three final qualification groups. France will compete at the Olympics for the first time and, given its status as a perennial Worlds 1A competitor, remaining competitive with some of the Olympic mainstays and heavyweights should be a goal. The Olympics can be a stage for the underdogs to surprise the world and France’s women’s hockey team is as underdog as it can get.

Germany

In what was arguably the biggest women’s hockey game in Germany history, Luisa Welcke was the hero as her third-period goal snapped a 1-1 tie and gave the Germans a 2-1 lead they would hold against Hungary in February Olympic qualifying. The winner-takes-all showdown put the Germans into the 2026 Olympic tournament where their goal will be to finish among the top three Group B teams and advance to the quarter-finals.

“Making it to the Olympics has been a dream of mine since my childhood and I’m just plain ecstatic that we’ve done it and that this dream is going to come true,” Welcke said.

Italy

The 2026 Games will mark 20 years since Italy last hosted the Olympics and, also, 20 years since Italy played in the women’s hockey tournament. The Azzurre finished eighth at those 2026 Games and, like France, may be in touch to compete in the upcoming Games. But, as they say, the game is played for a reason so best not to discount the Italians quite yet. Italy finished first at the Division 1B Worlds and were promoted to the 1A championship for 2026.

Japan

Smile Japan ran the table at its Olympic qualifier with three wins on home soil against France, Poland and China. Akane Shiga (two goals, four assists) and Yumeka Wajima (five goals) carried the offensive load for the champs and will be looked to for scoring prowess at the Olympics. Japan is currently seventh in the IIHF rankings and, like its competitors in Group B, will be looking to crack the top 8 and advance to the quarter-finals.

Sweden

Sweden is still the only nation not named Canada or the United States to play in an Olympic gold medal game (the Swedes won silver in 2006). But a team that has been historically among the top three or four needed qualifying to get into the 2026 Olympics, dispatching Denmark 5-0 in February to qualify for the Games….