Denmark, the hosts of the 2026 World Championship tournament, will compete in the top division of the World Championships for the first time since 2024. Can the hosts pull off an upset or two and avoid relegation?
Storylines
Last year, Denmark competed in the Division 1A World Championship tournament. In that tournament, Denmark finished second and earned promotion to the top division for the 2026 tournament. To top it off, in October of 2025, it was announced that Denmark won their bid to host the tournament in 2026.
In last year’s tournament, Denmark was led offensively by Silke Lave Glud. Glud, who plays her club hockey for Malmö in the NDHL, scored in four of Denmark’s five games, tallying 4 goals and 7 points during the five-game tournament. She had a 4-point night that included a hat trick in a win over the Netherlands.
Nicoline Jensen was also fantastic offensively for Denmark at last year’s tournament. Jensen tallied 5 assists and 6 points in five games, including 4 assists in the win over the Netherlands. Jensen and Glud will once again need to lead the offense for Denmark in this year’s tournament.
In goal, Emma-Sofie Nordström started all five games for Denmark. Nordström finished with a .946 save percentage and two shutouts. She made 34 saves in an important shutout victory over Slovakia.
Player to watch
For Denmark to have success in this tournament, Emma-Sofie Nordström will need to be fantastic in net once again.
Nordström first represented Denmark at the U18 World Championships in 2017. Since then, she’s represented her country on numerous occasions. At just 19 years old, she was a member of Denmark’s 2022 Olympic team. Nordström started all four games the last time Denmark was in the top division of the World Championships in 2024.
For the past four seasons, Nordström has played for St. Lawrence University. Nordström appeared in 95 games across her college career and finished with a .933 save percentage. She was an ECAC Goaltender of the Year finalist in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
This summer, Nordström was a top goalie prospect for the PWHL draft. She became the first Danish player to be drafted into the PWHL when she was selected by Halifax in the fifth round, 54th overall.
I’d expect it to be Nordström’s net once again in these World Championships. She will be tested early and often as Denmark will likely spend a lot of time in their own zone in this tournament. Nordström will need to be good to keep them in games.
What will success look like?
I think the goal for Denmark in this tournament is pretty clear: remain in the top division. Denmark has competed in the top division of the World Championships in three of the last five tournaments, but they have finished 10th and been relegated in all three of those tournaments.
Finding a way to finish better than 10th and remain in the top tournament would be a huge success for this Denmark team. One thing they will have going for them will be the home crowd. The energy of the home fans could give Denmark an edge if they can keep one of their group stage games close.
Denmark’s schedule looks relatively favorable for a shot at avoiding relegation. They open the tournament against Finland before they play their most important game of the group stage against Japan. This will be Japan’s first game of the tournament, which could give Denmark a slight advantage if they are able to build some momentum and chemistry in the game against Finland.
That said, I think the most likely outcome for Denmark is that they will finish at the bottom of Group B. If this is the case, they’ll need to win a one-game playoff, likely against Austria, to avoid relegation.
Group stage schedule
- Nov. 6 vs. Finland, 7 PM local (1 PM EST)
- Nov. 7 vs. Japan, 7 PM local (1 PM EST)
- Nov. 9 vs. Canada, 7 PM local (1 PM EST)
- Nov. 10 vs. Sweden, 7 PM local (1 PM EST)
Full schedule available at IIHF.com.
