The Australian women’s under-18 national team have moved up a place to 19th in the world rankings following the conclusion of the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championships, which ran from 5 January to 1 February across five tournaments. In 2026, 32 countries participated in the World Championships, with the United States claiming the gold medal in the Championship division. A sixth tournament, Division III, was also scheduled and would have featured the debut of Iran but was ultimately cancelled. Estonia, who has participated in the past, did not send a team in 2026, and Russia did not participate due to their current suspension. Australia’s 19th place ranking is their best result in the last ten years, while their lowest was 24th in 2022.
The ranking is based on the performance of the last four World Championships and uses the same points system as the one used by the International Ice Hockey Federation for the senior men’s and women’s national teams. It also makes the same allowances for countries who have been unable to participate, like Russia which is currently expelled from the competition, China and New Zealand who were unable to travel in 2022, or Bulgaria, Croatia, Iran, Lithuania, and Thailand where their tournament was cancelled.
Australia’s ranking over the past ten years
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st | 21st | 21st | 20th | 21st |
World Rankings
| Rank | Team | Points | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 3,950 | +1 |
| 2 | Canada | 3,920 | –1 |
| 3 | Czechia | 3,805 | +1 |
| 4 | Russia | 3,800 | –1 |
| 5 | Sweden | 3,745 | – |
| 6 | Switzerland | 3,620 | +1 |
| 7 | Finland | 3,605 | –1 |
| 8 | Slovakia | 3,585 | – |
| 9 | Hungary | 3,425 | +3 |
| 10 | Japan | 3,420 | –1 |
| 11 | Germany | 3,390 | –1 |
| 12 | Italy | 3,270 | –1 |
| 13 | France | 3250 | – |
| 14 | Norway | 3,210 | +1 |
| 15 | Denmark | 3,150 | +1 |
| 16 | Austria | 3,115 | –2 |
| 17 | Poland | 3,040 | – |
| 18 | Spain | 2,970 | – |
| 19 | Australia | 2,880 | +1 |
| 20 | South Korea | 2,850 | –1 |
| 21 | Great Britain | 2,835 | +1 |
| 22 | Kazakhstan | 2,695 | +3 |
| 23 | Latvia | 2,695 | – |
| 24 | China | 2,685 | +6 |
| 25 | Netherlands | 2,665 | –1 |
| 26 | Chinese Taipei | 2,585 | –5 |
| 27 | Türkiye | 2,560 | –1 |
| 28 | New Zealand | 2,535 | –1 |
| 29 | Iceland | 2,445 | –1 |
| 30 | Mexico | 2,370 | –1 |
| 31 | Belgium | 2,365 | – |
| 32 | South Africa | 2,300 | – |
| 33 | Romania | 1,675 | +1 |
| 34 | Thailand | 1,540 | +1 |
| 35 | Bulgaria | 1,530 | –2 |
| 36 | Croatia | 1,505 | – |
| 37 | Lithuania | 1,470 | – |
| 38 | Iran | 800 | new |
| 39 | Estonia | 305 | –1 |
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