Women's para ice hockey will not compete at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy, despite a men's tournament taking place. Both athletes and the associated governing bodies have now shifted their focus to the 2030 Paralympic Games in the French Alps.
The sport reached a major milestone in August 2025 when Slovakia hosted the first-ever women's Para Ice Hockey World Championships. The men's World Championships predates the women's by more than 25 years.
USA Hockey defeated rival Canada 7-1 in the inaugural gold medal game. The tournament featured teams from Norway, Great Britain, Australia, and Team World, with Kelsey DiClaudio earning tournament MVP honors for Team USA.
"This event itself, it felt groundbreaking and hopefully it is groundbreaking," DiClaudio said in August.
The sport needs more fully functioning national teams to qualify for Paralympic inclusion. Team World represented a step forward at Worlds, featuring athletes from nine different countries aiming to help grow the sport in their home nations.
"We're not going to stop until we get to the Paralympics," DiClaudio continued. "My teammates and I, we dream of being Paralympians."
With the 2026 Winter Paralympics decision in the books, the sport remains focused on 2030. The World Championship has also become an annual event, providing regular international competition between Winter Games.
USA head coach Rose Misiewicz acknowledged the work ahead. "To get to the Paralympics would be a dream," she said. "The World Championships were a huge milestone that needed to be accomplished, and we have some more milestones to go."
