The annual IIHF World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend (WGIHW) is back for its 15^th edition over the weekend of Oct. 16-18, 2026.

The event has grown into a truly global affair, with more than 30 countries across six continents taking part last year.

It’s a time when rinks open their doors to thousands of girls and women, inviting them to take part in hockey events – often trying the game for the first time.

And this IIHF event marks another exciting season for the women’s game. At the highest level, the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship 2026 in Denmark (6-16 November) will be one of the main highlights. We’re also looking forward to the IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship 2027 in Czechia in January.
In the club game, the PWHL continues to grow, while Europe’s top leagues are already underway.

But none of that elite-level excitement would be possible without strong grassroots. WGIHW brings women and girls together at the start of their hockey journeys, introducing people to the game and forging new friendships through our wonderful sport.

Want to follow the World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend? Our tracker, below, will be updated all weekend long. Make sure to follow @iihfhockey on Facebook, Instagram and X for updates during the weekend and use the official hashtag #WGIHW. Organizers can submit the reporting form to be included in the tracker.
 

Vilnius, Lithuania

The Akropolis rink in the Lithuanian capital hosted the country’s World Girls Ice Hockey Weekend event, welcoming 21 skaters. Ages ranged from 2-42, with most participants aged 14-16. 

After a short introduction, everyone got kitted up for a 90-minute session on the ice. After a mix of skating practice, puck drills and fun challenges, there was time for all the players to join in a full game. All participants collected t-shirts and stickers as souvenirs of a successful day.

Hyvinkaa, Finland

With each year, this event goes from strength to strength in Finland – and what used to be a weekend is now a full week. 

“This is of enormous significance as its gives girls and women visibility in the sport nationwide for the entire week,” said Anu Niemi, Developer of Girls Ice Hockey with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.

Many of the events run ahead of the World Girls Ice Hockey Weekend to coincide with school holidays and women’s national team events in Finland, expanding the program’s reach. And on the weekend itself, Hyvinkaa held an open camp with a full day session for 68 players aged 6-16 supported by 10 coaches.

“The themed week has succeeded in bringing girls into the normal everyday hockey life of many clubs and communities,” Anu added. “This year, a total of 46 different clubs participated, bringing more than 1,000 girls and women to their events.”

Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s women’s hockey team was on hand to support the World Girls Ice Hockey Weekend event in Ust-Kamenogorsk. The city in Eastern Kazakhstan welcomed about 20 budding players and 60 spectators, raising the profile of the women’s game.

A 90-minute ice session combined cross-ice hockey games for 8-11-year-olds, plus recreational skating and challenges for teenagers and younger children.

“The participation of players from the women’s national team was a special highlight,” said Karina Yessenalina. “This provided young girls with a valuable opportunity to interact with experienced national team players and gain additional motivation to pursue ice hockey.”

While women’s hockey is growing in Kazakhstan, events like Saturday’s help to put a focus on the girls who are taking up the game. “Despite growing interest, greater public awareness is still needed to show how ice hockey offers valuable opportunities for girls and women,” Karina added. “We noticed that the girls especially enjoy being in front of the cameras, participating in the photo session and experiencing the atmosphere of a special sporting event.”

Nottingham, Great Britain

Britain’s National Ice Centre hosted this year’s event, alongside Nottingham Vipers and Ice Hockey UK. The day brought 27 newcomers to the rink, joining a group of 20 or so more established players from the host club. Ages ranged from 8-40.

WGIHW is a regular highlight on the Vipers’ hockey calendar, with the club hosting an event every year since its inception in 2011. That’s helped the Vipers grow into one of Britain’s biggest women’s clubs, with 100 players across four teams. 

Vipers head coach Ryan Rathbone is hoping to see more new recruits after the 2027 event. “Several participants expressed an interest in continuing with the sport and enquired about opportunities to join the club and attend future sessions,” he said. “The feedback highlighted that the event was a success at introducing new participants to ice hockey.”
 

Sisak and Karlovac, Croatia

Croatia had 29 participants across two events, with the youngest players just five years old. In Sisak, the session was held on ice, while Karlovac used the inline skating rink. Participants got a chance to tackle a range of drills before putting their new skills to the test in some friendly games.

WGIHW helps the steady growth of women’s hockey in Croatia, as Karla Vorkapic of the Croatian Ice Hockey Association explained. “An increasing number of girls are joining thanks to their school friends and classmates,” she said. “This suggests interest in hockey is reaching beyond existing hockey families.”

Karla added that many of the older girls enjoyed offering the kind of support they might have wanted when women’s hockey in Croatia was in its infancy, while new players relished the chance to meet their colleagues, play together and learn from more experienced players.

Minsk and other cities, Belarus

It was a big day in Belarus, with WGIHW events taking place right across the country.

The biggest was at the 15,000-seater Minsk Arena, where almost 100 girls who have started hockey in the past six weeks met players from the women’s national team and Dinamo Minsk. For some, Saturday was their first time on the ice; others were ready to build on the skills they have picked up in their first weeks in the game.

And they came from all over the country, representing 22 towns and cities. Sofia Miroshkina, aged six, said: “It was all very interesting for me, I travelled from Mogilyov just for this training session. I started playing ice hockey this year. I also do gymnastics, but now I’m truly passionate about ice hockey; I actually want to go to hockey practices even more than to gymnastics”

Following the largest ever hockey practice in Belarus, Dinamo Minsk’s Dmitri Kuzmin added: “Honestly, it’s been nothing but positive emotions. There are so many girls who want to get involved. Everyone is smiling – they all want to learn how to play ice hockey. The most important thing is that they enjoy it.”

After a productive practice, there were more treats in store – including a dance party with Dinamo’s mascots and a chance to check out the pro team’s locker room.

That was the biggest of several events across the country, with Yunost Minsk, HC Brest, Pinskiye Yastreby, Shakhter Soligorsk, HC Vitebsk and HC Mogilyov also hosting groups of girls in their arenas.

Sofia, Bulgaria

More than 30 young girls joined Bulgaria’s WGIHW event at the Slavia Ice Rink in Sofia. The on-ice session, organised by IIHF Council Member Stoian Batchvarov involved lots of games and drills and the girls all had a great time. All the girls were given special pink pucks in support of all the women in sport with breast cancer.

Belgrade, Serbia

This year’s WGIHW was promoted on national television in Serbia, helping to raise the profile of women’s hockey in the country. That attracted many new faces to Saturday’s event in Belgrade, with 40 participants coming along for a busy program on and off the ice.

Prospective players got an introduction to the sport and an hour-long session on the ice at the Pionir rink. Later in the afternoon, there were more games followed by a meal and a women’s hockey quiz. In the evening, the group went to watch a pro game in the International Hockey League.

Prague, Czechia

Senior players from the Czech national women’s team helped to encourage the next generation of stars at Saturday’s event in Prague. A group of 25 skaters and three goalies, all born between 2012 and 2014, got the chance to finesse their skills alongside some of their country’s top players.

“The girls especially value every opportunity to meet current and former members of the national team and take part in training session led by these inspiring role models,” said Natalie Skalova, Future Olympians coordinator at the Czech Ice Hockey Association. “These events are greatly appreciated by both players and their families, who would love to see more of these opportunities throughout the year.”

In particular, days like this give a chance to play on an all-girls team – something which is still relatively rare in Czechia – while also raising the profile of the women’s game.

Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia

Osy Spisska Nova Ves organised one of this year’s WGIHW events for Slovakia, with about 20 girls aged 4-10 taking part.

The youngsters were encouraged to take on challenges tailored to their skills and experience, supported by players and coaches from HC Osy, the senior women’s team in the city. For the club, which plays in the Slovak women’s championship, it’s a good recruitment opportunity; for the players it’s a chance to get a taste of playing hockey in a friendly and supportive environment.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to show the girls that hockey can be a fun sport, and to motivate them to continue to pursue it,” said club director Martina Hanzok.

Elsewhere in Slovakia, there were more events in Brezno, Cana, Michalovce, Presov and Zvolen.

Cape Town, South Africa

The Ice Station in Cape Town welcomed 60 girls and women, aged 5-50, for this year’s WGIHW showcase.

The event was aimed at new members of South Africa’s Learn to Play program, who worked with coaches and players from the women’s national team to pick up the basics of essential hockey skills. And the fun and games inspired some to get out of the bleachers and join the action on the ice.

“It was really special to see some of the moms join in the fun by borrowing equipment from the dads and taking to the ice alongside their daughters,” said Salama Khan of South Africa Women in Sport. “It was a wonderful reminder that hockey is about more than just playing a sport – it’s about family, friendship, courage and creating memories together.”

Many participants talked about wanting to come back and play again, with a view to joining a team for the new season.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

About a dozen potential new players came to an open session with Argentina’s national women’s team in Buenos Aires. The numbers would have been higher, but for a clash with Mothers’ Day in Argentina. The national team players set up and led the event – with the balloon challenges turning into the highlight of the day.

“The girls left the ice smiling and excited to keep trying the sport,” said Iara Haiek, women’s team coordinator for Argentina’s Hockey Association. “Having national team players as their coaches made the experience especially meaningful, as they got to learn from and spend time with role models from our sport.”

Mexico City, Mexico

The Mexican U18 women’s team was at the heart of the country’s WGIHW event this year. At the request of the players, a hockey clinic was set up in Mexico City. Thirty players, aged 14-18, took part in practice drills and exhibition games over the weekend. Many of them travelled from across the country to get involved. There was also an online discussion about fitness and injury prevention.

WGIHW is an established part of the Mexican hockey calendar and there are ambitions to make it bigger in future years. Mireya Ayala, General Secretary of Hockey Mexico, said: “It has become a traditional event, and all the players enjoy it. Our goal for next year for every club in Mexico to host an event on their own rink.”

And for families who are new to the women’s hockey program, a worldwide event is a real attraction. “Parents were surprised to learn about it, and very excited to see their daughters participating in a global-scale event,” Mireya added.
 

Caldaro and Torino, Italy

Two WGIHW events in Italy took place in very different parts of the country. Caldaro, in the winter sports heartland of South Tyrol, welcomed more than 50 players in two age groups for a day-long women’s hockey session. Meanwhile, in Torino, 18 players born between 2015 and 2020 came from Piedmont, Val d’Aosta and the city itself to help revive interest in the game in the 2006 Olympic host city.

There was an Olympic echo in Caldaro as well: Nadia Mattivi, captain of the Italian women’s national ice hockey team at the 2026 Winter Olympics, recorded a video greeting for the young players. Her personal and motivational message further inspired the participants and reinforced their enthusiasm for the sport. Little extras like this, and souvenir gifts and certificates, helped to make it a special day for the participants – some of whom had travelled up to two hours from neighbouring regions to get involved.

In Torino, players and coaches from the Real Torino women’s hockey club, which competes in Italy’s national championship, led the day’s activities. And for the club and the young players alike, it was a great day – and one that everybody would like to repeat more often in future.

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Lavice club hosted Bosnia’s WGIHW session, welcoming 37 games from Sarajevo’s three women’s teams. The youngest player was just four years old, and there were 19 u14s at the session.

Those younger players especially enjoyed it, since this was an opportunity to compete  exclusively alongside other girls. For the first time in Sarajevo, there were four female goalies on ice at the same time, aged between five and 10.

Teams played 3x3 exhibition games and got a chance to share their skills and passion for hockey with their colleagues. And events like this remain a big factor in recruiting new players. “Every year we welcome new female players to our clubs because they become interested in hockey after watching or participating in our events,” said Majda Hanic, Lavice club president. “This plays an important role in encouraging more girls to take up the sport and ensuring the continued growth of women’s hockey in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

Andorra la Vella, Andorra

Not even the temporary closure of the local ice rink could stop Andorra’s girls from joining WGIHW. 

Instead of an on-ice session, Andorra Hoquei Gel headed to the local fair, putting the game before a new audience. A stall promoted the game, inviting women and girls to come and try on the kit and have a go at shooting the puck. And, of course, once the rink reopens, everyone is welcome to come along for a taster session on the ice.

The change of scenery helped to encourage more people to take a look at hockey. “It’s not something we normally do,” said Katie Harcombe, board member at Andorra Hoquei Gel. “But so many different women loved trying on all the equipment. This is definitely something we’ll do again.”
 

Haugesund, Norway

For Haugesund Seagulls, WGIHW is an established part of the season – and it’s fast become a much-loved tradition at the club.

This year’s on-ice workshop attracted a large turnout, with many girls and women returning after enjoying previous years.

But there was also a good crop of first-timers. “For many of them, it sparked a genuine interest in ice hockey and some curious to learn more about how they could join our club and start playing,” said the Seagulls’ Tore Lund.

Multiple cities, Turkiye

Five events went ahead in Turkiye, where the Turkish Ice Hockey Federation is keen to expand into more and more cities.

This year saw WGIHW come to Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, Erzurum and Istanbul. In total, almost 300 girls aged 5-16 took part across the country. Two further events were scheduled but had to be cancelled for technical reasons.

Each event combined games and drills with fun challenges. Participants were quick to engage with the activities and were excited to get on the ice and get involved. Many girls who were new to ice hockey showed an interest in returning and doing more in the sport.

Sao Paulo

For the first time, Brazil’s WGIHW event was put together by an all-female team – managers, coaches, athletes and leaders alike.

The 2026 session took place in Sao Paulo with 28 girls aged 8-12. But the off-ice focus on talking to parents was just as important. Professor Chellsea Alcântara spoke about the importance of sport for girls, and how families can support this process. Mairin Motta, sports development coordinator for the Brazilian Ice Sports Federation also joined in the discussion.

Meanwhile, the girls were out on the ice trying hockey for the first time. Many of them were keen to continue with the game, adding further encouragement to plans to develop more rinks in Brazil.