World’s best young players from eight nations — Canada, Czechia, Finland, Hungary, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States — will compete at both Sydney’s Centre 200 and the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre Jan. 8-18 of next yearPublished Apr 13, 2025 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 4 minute readHockey Canada and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on Sunday that Sydney and Membertou will host the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, scheduled for this coming Jan. 8-18. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTCape Breton is set to bring in a major under-18 girls hockey tournament early next year. Hockey Canada and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on Sunday that Sydney and Membertou will host the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, scheduled for Jan. 8-18, 2026. The world’s best young players from eight nations — Canada, Czechia, Finland, Hungary, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States — will compete at both Sydney’s 5,000-seat Centre 200, home of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s Cape Breton Eagles, and the 1,250-seat Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre. 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Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTThanks to being crowned the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2022, that first home-ice arena — the former Canada Games Complex on the grounds of Cape Breton University — is earmarked to help advance the community facility and further generate growing the game as Cape Breton’s main hub for women’s hockey. Article contentAnd Lamey sees this exposure of the world women’s U18 tournament as not just about the on-ice games. “There’s so much more to it,” she said. “They’re going to be interacting with the broadcasters, the play-by-play (analysts). There’s a lot of things that the girls are going to get out of this experience that’s more than just the day-to-day on-the-ice stuff.” And as with those aforementioned events, Sydney will likely once again experience a significant boost in the local economy, not to mention expose the community to what it has to offer, sporting-wise or otherwise. Cheers from several Centre 200 attendees during Sunday’s announcement of the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship coming to Sydney and Membertou early next year. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTVISION AND PASSION Sydney hosting such a world-class event comes off the heels of last year’s successful world women’s curling tournament, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts curling tournament in 2019. In hockey terms, Sydney has previously played host to the likes of the 2000 and 2006 Esso Canadian National Championship for women’s ice hockey, co-hosted the 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, the 2008 QMJHL Entry Draft, the opening game of the 2008 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge, as well as the 2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, and Telus Cup national under-18 hockey championship in 2024.Article content“This is our time; this is our moment; this is our opportunity to shine as a community,” Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Cecil Clarke said during Sunday’s announcement. “In January, we will open our doors, and we’ll open our hearts to the best of the best (in the sport). “It’s about how far we become and where we’re going, as Cape Breton has become a national leader in women’s and girls’ hockey. It exists because this community came together with vision, and with passion, to make it happen.” ‘ALWAYS A GOOD ATMOSPHERE’ For young local players already making a mark in U18 girls’ hockey, the forthcoming tournament will allow them a significant opportunity to see and learn what female players in other countries experience in the sport. Jade Vickers, left, and Ava Carew — each representing U18 girls teams the Cape Breton Lynx and Cape Breton Blizzard, respectively, say they’re excited about seeing eight nations of U18 women’s hockey players when they converge on Sydney and Membertou this coming January. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POST“I’m very excited,” said Jade Vickers, who plays defence for the Maritime Major Female Hockey League’s Cape Breton Lynx U18 squad. “I think it’s a great opportunity for lots of girls to see how far they can go.” Added Ava Carew of the Cape Breton Blizzard and former Lynx teammate, “It’s always a good atmosphere when all the little, big and older kids that you see, all the girls that play hockey, and it’s just heartwarming to just see all of the girls that actually love the sport and to play.” Article content‘INSPIRE AND ELEVATE’ Hockey fans, young players, government officials, Membertou Chief Terry Paul and others cheered when the Centre 200 Jumbotron, airing a women’s world hockey championship final between the U.S. and Canada, flashed images of Cape Breton followed by the announcement of Sydney as winning the bid to host the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship. “We know this event will inspire and elevate women’s and girls’ hockey at every level and in every corner of the province, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome some of the world’s best players to Cape Breton next year,” said Leijsa Wilton, chair of Hockey Nova Scotia’s Female Council. INCREASING ICE TIME For Lamey, it’s yet another step in achieving more ice time for a growing number of interested female hockey players. “It’s always a challenge and whatnot,” she said. “But I think we’ve made some momentous strides here on that. Players, fans, government members and other onlookers celebrate upon hearing Sunday’s announcement of Sydney and Membertou getting to host the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, slated for this coming Jan. 8-18. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POST“We’re actually quite a large association. We’re using more than one surface. So we will be using the surface at CBU, but we’ll still be at Membertou (Sport and Wellness Centre) — which is where we spend a lot of time now — and at Eskasoni. So there’s much more room for growth.” Fans looking to receive updates about the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, and their chance to purchase tickets when they become available, can sign up for the priority ticket list, giving them the best opportunity to see Canada’s national women’s U18 team compete in Nova Scotia. For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2026 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok. Article content
Cape Breton to host 2026 IIHF U18 Womens World Championship
