Team USA is right on track to win a gold medal in women’s hockey after a dominant showing in the preliminary round.
Through four games, Team USA outscored its opponents 20–1. Captain Hilary Knight and crew capped off the preliminary round by handing Canada a 5–0 loss on Tuesday—the country’s first shutout defeat in 41 Olympic tilts. In similar fashion, the U.S. also defeated Czechia 5–1, Finland 5–0 and Switzerland 5–0 in the preliminary round and enters the medal round as the clear favorites to stand atop the podium.
But there’s still work to be done. Three games separate the U.S. from its third gold medal in women’s hockey since the event first entered the Olympic Games in 1998.
Here’s a look at the final preliminary standings and an updated bracket as the puck drops in the medal round:
Final standings from women’s hockey preliminary round at the 2026 Winter Olympics
First, an overview of the format: 10 teams entered the Olympic Games with a chance to win gold in women’s hockey. They were separated into two groups of five. All five of the teams from Group A—Team USA, Canada, Finland, Czechia and Switzerland—advance to the knockout medal round, while only the top three teams in Group B move on to the playoffs.
Group A final standingsTeam USA (12 points; 4–0 record)Canada (9 points; 3–1 record)Czechia (4 points; 1–2–1 record)Finland (3 points; 1–3 record)Switzerland (2 points; 1–3 record; lone win was in OT)Group B final standingsSweden (12 points; 4–0 record)Germany (8 points; 3–1 record)Italy (6 points; 2–2 record)Japan (3 points; 1–3 record)France (1 point 0–4 record; one loss was in OT)
Japan and France—the two bottom-dwellers in Group B—are eliminated.
Women’s hockey bracket at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Here’s a look at the bracket for the quarterfinals. Teams will be reseeded after the quarterfinals so the top-ranked remaining team will take on the worst-ranked seed, and the second-best remaining team will battle the second-worst seed.
The quarterfinal matchups for women’s hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics. | IIHF / X
Olympics women’s hockey playoff round: Full schedule
All Olympic women’s hockey games will stream live on Peacock, and some will air live on USA Network.
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 13
Game 1: No. 3 Czechia vs. No. 6 Sweden—10:40 a.m. ET
Game 2: No. 1 Team USA vs. No. 8 Italy—3:10 p.m. ET (USA Network)
Saturday, Feb. 14
Game 3: No. 2 Canada vs. No. 7 Germany—10:40 a.m. ET
Game 4: No. 4 Finland vs. No. 5 Switzerland—3:10 p.m. ET
Semifinals
Monday, Feb. 16
Game 1: TBD vs. TBD—10:40 a.m. ET
Game 2: TBD vs. TBD—3:10 p.m. ET
Bronze medal game
Thursday, Feb. 19
Matchup: TBD vs. TBD—8:40 a.m. ET (USA Network coverage at 12 p.m. ET)
Gold medal game
Thursday, Feb. 19
Matchup: TBD vs. TBD—1:10 p.m. ET (USA Network)
More Winter Olympics on Sports Illustrated