After defeating Germany 3-0 in Thursday’s quarterfinal round, Team USA will take on host nation Czechia in Saturday's 2025 IIHF World Championship semifinals, as the squad seeks a record-extending 24th straight appearance in the tournament's title game on Sunday.
"They have the home crowd, so it's definitely going to be a gritty game," US forward Lacey Eden said of Saturday’s matchup. "It's going to be a battle, but we'll be ready for it. We can use the fan energy and kind of go off that."
This year's tournament mirrors Team USA's path in 2024, when the US downed fellow powerhouse Canada in the group stage to reach the title game undefeated — only to lose 6-5 to their North American rivals in an overtime thriller of a championship match.
"It's everything to us," USA defender Cayla Barnes said earlier this week. "We want to be in that final and obviously want to be back on top of the podium, seeing as we fell short last year."
Canada has their own semifinal ahead of them, as the 2024 champs take the ice against Finland in Saturday’s IIHF closer.
Finland is the only country other than the US and Canada to ever play in a Women’s World Championship final, earning silver after taking down Canada in the semis in 2019.
How to watch the 2025 IIHF World Championship this weekend
The 2025 IIHF World Championship semifinals begin Saturday, when the USA takes on Czechia at 9 AM ET, before Canada battles Finland at 1 PM ET.
Saturday's winners will square off in Sunday's final at 12 PM ET.
All US games will air live on the NHL Network.
After a dominant group-stage run to advance to the quarterfinals, Team USA will take the ice for the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship knockout rounds on Thursday.
Winning all four games so far — including a 2-1 victory over reigning champs Canada on Sunday — the Group A victors join Group B winners Sweden as the tournament's only remaining undefeated teams.
After taking silver in last year's edition, Team USA is well on their way to avenging their runners-up status — with the possibility of squaring off against their North American rivals once again in Sunday’s final starting to take shape.
First, however, the US must take down Germany in their Thursday quarterfinal to claim a spot in Saturday's semis.
Other quarterfinal matchups include Finland battling Sweden, Canada going up against Japan, and host nation Czechia taking on Switzerland.
Knight adds another World Championship record to her resume
Helping buoy Team USA's momentum is veteran star Hilary Knight, who made tournament history on Tuesday.
With three assists in the USA's 5-0 win over Switzerland, Knight claimed the all-time IIHF Women's World Championship assist record with 50 total tournament assists, surpassing Canadian forward Hayley Wickenheiser's previous mark of 49.
The 35-year-old forward adds the assist record to an already stellar IIHF World Championship resume.
Her 14 medals — nine of them gold — make Knight the tournament's most decorated athlete of all time. Stepping onto Tuesday's ice, her 67 goals and 117 points across her now-15 World Championship editions already made Knight the tournament's all-time leading goalscorer and points-leader.
The USA icon's six points throughout the 2025 competition have her trailing just Canadian star Marie-Philip Poulin's eight points.
"A lot has been said [about Knight’s career], but she is just phenomenal, not only as a player but a human being," said defender Caroline Harvey after Knight's record-breaking performance on Tuesday.
"She leads this team, and she's leaving a lasting impact for years and years to come."
How to watch Team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Championship
Team USA will take the ice for their quarterfinal against Germany at 7:30 AM ET on Thursday, with live coverage on the NHL Network.
The puck dropped on the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Czechia early Wednesday morning, when the world’s most competitive hockey stars hit the ice for the annual international tournament.
Canada enters as the reigning champion after defeating the US 6-5 in overtime last year to earn their third IIHF title in four years.
Through the tournament's 23 previous editions, the USA and Canada remain the only winners, with the bitter rivals facing off in all but one gold-medal game — the 2019 finale in which Finland took silver behind the US, and Canada snagged bronze.
Both teams feature experienced squads this year, with 13-time tournament contender Marie-Philip Poulin captaining Canada while Team USA relies on the veteran leadership of Hilary Knight, now skating her 15th Worlds — a new IIHF record.
PWHL athletes take center stage at 2025 Worlds
Strengthening North America’s grip on the contest even more is the PWHL, with the second-year league sending 57 players — over 40% of its total athletes — to this year’s World Championship.
In the USA's 7-1 opening win against Finland on Wednesday morning, PWHL players produced every US goal, with the Minnesota Frost’s Kelly Pannek and Ottawa Charge’s Hayley Scamurra recording two each.
The PWHL kicked off the final international break of its 2024/25 season on April 3rd, with plans to resume after the Championship’s conclusion on April 26th.
How to watch the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship
The 2025 IIHF World Championship begins Wednesday, April 9th, and runs through the tournament's 12 PM ET championship game on Sunday, April 20th.
All US games will air live on the NHL Network.