Afterwards, the IIHF decided to hold Women's Championships in Olympic years, starting in 2014, but not at the top level.

Both national teams placed either first or second every tournament until Canada's streak was broken at the 2019 Championship.

[5] IIHF reverted to 8 teams after the 2009 tournament, and play continued in this format until the expansion of 2019.

[9] Outside of the Top Division tournament, participating nations play in groups of no more than six teams.

Body checking was allowed at the first championship in 1990 but has been assessed as a minor penalty at all subsequent tournaments.

In order to be eligible to compete in IIHF events, players must be under the jurisdiction of the governing body they are representing and must be a citizen of that country.

Additionally, the player must be eighteen years old, or sixteen with a medical waiver, in the season the tournament takes place.

[11] At most IIHF events, the tournament directorate awards the Best Forward, Best Defenceman, Best Goalkeeper and Most Valuable Player (MVP).

At the Women's World Championship, these honours have been awarded in some combination since the first tournament, with the exception of 1997 and the cancelled tournaments in 2003 and 2020. as of end of 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship Notes: