The 2026 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship was the 18th U18 Women's World Championship in ice hockey.
The Top Division tournament was played in Membertou and Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, from 10 to 18 January 2026.
On 3 January 2025, Canada and the IIHF signed an agreement handing five IIHF women's competitions between 2026 and 2030 to Canada.
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.
The serpentine system was used to organise the groups (rankings in brackets).
All times are local (UTCâÂÂ4).
Winning teams were reseeded for the semi-finals in accordance with the following ranking:
Best players selected by the Directorate
<small>Source:IIHF.com</small>
All-Star team
List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.
<small>GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/â = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalties in minutes; POS = Position<br> Source: IIHF</small>
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.
<small>TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts<br> Source: IIHF</small>
The tournament was held in Ritten, Italy, from 12 to 18 January 2026.
The tournament was held in Katowice, Poland, from 5 to 11 January 2026.
The tournament was held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 19 to 25 January 2026.
The tournament was held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 26 January to 1 February 2026.
The tournament was to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 29 January to 4 February 2026, but was cancelled. Organizers stated that they could not proceed with the tournament in order to protect the, "safety and best interests of the athletes."