World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend 2026 brings girls onto the ice in more than 30 countries
News — 19 October 2026
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) held the 15th World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend this past weekend, 16–18 October 2026, with girls of all ages on the ice in more than 30 countries.
Fifteen editions bringing girls to hockey
The IIHF launched the programme in 2011, and every autumn it gives girls the chance to try ice hockey, many of them for the first time. National federations and clubs run free try-out sessions, “bring a friend to the rink” days, practices and exhibitions over the weekend; in the United States, the national federation encourages clubs to celebrate throughout October.
More than 30 countries
According to the IIHF, this edition brings events to more than 30 countries. In the 2025 edition, the United States again registered the most host sites, with more than 100 sites registered, and participants shared the weekend on social media with the hashtags #GirlsHockey and #WGIHW.
The ice that makes it possible
Every one of these sessions needs real ice: smooth, level and temperature-stable. Napapiri designs, manufactures, rents and sells real-ice skating rinks, mobile and permanent, for event organisers, municipalities and sports and leisure facilities worldwide; quotation within 24 hours at napapiri.com.
Photo: women’s 3×3 ice hockey tournament match at the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympics (11 January 2020). Photograph by Martin Rulsch, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Archive photo; it does not show the 2026 event and is not the work of Napapiri.
Sources
- IIHF: World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend, accessed 19 October 2026.
- USA Hockey: IIHF World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend, accessed 19 October 2026.
