The Top Division tournament was played in
Membertou and
Sydney, Nova Scotia,
Canada, from 10 to 18 January 2026.
Host selection On 3 January 2025, Canada and the
IIHF signed an agreement handing five IIHF women's competitions between 2026 and 2030 to Canada.
Participants Eight teams took part in the competition.
Hungary returned for the first time since
2014. They replaced
Japan, who were immediately relegated back to the Division I after finishing last in
2025.
Summary of qualified teams Groups composition The
serpentine system was used to organise the groups (rankings in brackets). ;Group A • (1) • (4) • (5) • (8) ;Group B • (2) • (3) • (6) • (7)
Preliminary round All times are local (UTC−4). Group A ---- ----
Group B ---- ----
Playoff round Winning teams were reseeded for the semi-finals in accordance with the following ranking: • Higher position in their group • Higher number of points in preliminary pool play • Better goal differential • Higher number of goals scored • Better seeding coming into the tournament (final placement at the
2025 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship).
Bracket Quarterfinals ---- ---- ----
Semifinals ----
Relegation game Bronze medal game Gold medal game Awards and statistics Awards Best players selected by the Directorate Source:IIHF.com
All-Star team Scoring leaders List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalties in minutes; POS = Position Source: IIHF
Leading goaltenders Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list.
TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts Source: IIHF
Final standings ==Division I==