PWHL schedule and the IIHF World Championships
Photo courtesy of MikeVitale/Wikimedia Commons
On Oct. 1, 2025, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) released the 2025-26 schedule, with games set to start on Friday, Nov. 21. This schedule boasts 120 total games, which is up from 90 games last season and 72 games in its inaugural season. The league’s expansion reflects growing interest in professional women’s hockey and offers more opportunities for fans to see the best of the best in action.
As of Oct. 6, 2025, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), PWHL, and the global women’s hockey community have come together to move the IIHF Women’s World Championship to November, ahead of the start of the PWHL season. This change will ensure that the PWHL season and the World Championships will not clash with each other, as they had in seasons past. It will also allow for a full World Championship program in future Olympic seasons.
Since its inaugural season, the PWHL had to stop all play for almost a month at a time each spring for the World Championships, not to mention the multiple breaks taken in November, December, and February for international breaks. This type of fractured scheduling makes it hard for the PWHL to gain momentum and to gain the fan traction it is looking for.
Making the World Championships a preseason tournament rather than a middle-of-the-season tournament has a multitude of benefits. For starters, this will allow the PWHL to lessen the gaps between home games for teams and will also lighten the travel schedule for players.
The PWHL can also greatly benefit from this move when it comes to gaining even more support. With the abundant success seen with the PWHL Takeover Tour last season, they can afford to do it again, which is what led to the expansion of the league to Seattle and Vancouver. It would also be interesting to see if the league can take some notes from the National Hockey League (NHL) and think about the opportunities to create All-Star games, Stadium Series, and maybe their own 4-Nations Faceoff.
PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, Jaynas Hefford, spoke on the exciting change, saying, “This collaboration marks an important step forward for our sport…Working together with the IIHF and our partners globally, we’re doing what’s best to grow women’s hockey, building a calendar that allows each major event to reach its full potential. The introduction of the European Women’s Championship is another meaningful advancement for the international growth of the game. This unified approach is a win for the players, the fans, and the future of women’s hockey.”
The only caveat I could foresee being a problem is the risk of injuries. Every season, teams and players run the risk of injury, but not every league has a preseason tournament like this one. Hockey is already a physically demanding sport; now add a high-stakes international tournament into the mix, and it could be disastrous. Despite the risks, the tournament also presents a unique opportunity for players to showcase their skills on a global stage, making the potential rewards just as significant as the challenges.
With the World Championships now kicking off before the season starts, the PWHL is set for a smoother, faster-paced 2025-26 campaign. Fans can enjoy more consistent games, players can compete internationally without interrupting league play, and the league can keep growing.