The top eight women’s hockey nations including at least seven teams that participated in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi will be playing in the city in southern Sweden from 28 March to 4 April 2015 to crown the new champion.

“Welcome to Malmo and the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship. We are very proud and honoured to once again host an IIHF championship in Sweden,” said Mikael Haglund, General Secretary of the Organizing Committee.

In the two-tiered preliminary round, defending world champion USA, reigning Olympic champion Canada, Russia and Finland will play in Group A. Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and the winner of the Japan vs. Czech Republic qualification series to be played in autumn will compete in Group B.

All Group A games as well as the final round will be held in Malmo Isstadion, which was used during the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship as well. All games in Group B involving the Swedish team will also be played at Malmo Isstadion while the other games of the group as well as the relegation round will be held at Rosengards Ishall.

“The last time the Women's Worlds were played in Sweden was in 2005 and then we played in Linkoping and Norrkoping. This time we host the tournament in Malmo where we recently successfully hosted the World Junior Championship,” Haglund said. “With the experience we have from the World Juniors we are ready to receive the world's best female hockey players to play for the world title in 2015.”