b Halifax and Truro were the sites for 2020 IIHF World Championship; the conclusion of the tournament the ranking was to be finalized with regards to the direct qualification slots, but several 2020 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeding for 2020 was used in lieu of placement to determine ranking for unplayed tournaments.
Qualification seeding
To qualify directly, a nation had to be ranked in the top six following the 2020 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships.[1] Using the IIHF World Ranking points system, the current year received full value, and each preceding year was worth 25% less. The following is a ranking based on points that were accumulated toward Olympic qualification.[6]
Note: Several WC 2020 tournaments were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic so points for that year were earned based on overall finish in 2019.
Solid shading indicate the nation is assured of being in that round.
If a nation does not register for olympic qualification those ranked lower move up.
Pre-qualification Round 1
Teams ranked 27th and lower would have played off to advance to the next round. The tournament was scheduled to take place from 17 to 19 December 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic until 26 to 29 August 2021.[4][7]
The tournament was supposed to be held in Reykjavík, Iceland and feature Iceland, Hong Kong, Bulgaria and Lithuania. However, it was cancelled on 9 August 2021 after Bulgaria withdrew and the other teams raised concerns because of the pandemic.[8] As a result Iceland, the highest seeded team, automatically advanced to the next round.
Pre-qualification Round 2
Teams ranked 16th to 26th, plus one qualifier from Round 1 played in three tournaments to determine qualifiers for the next round. Each tournament winner was ranked by their qualification seeding and entered the next round as qualifier four, five or six. These tournaments were scheduled to take place from 11 to 14 February 2021, but were postponed to 7 to 10 October 2021.[4]
Group F
The tournament was scheduled to be held in Gangneung, South Korea. On 3 September 2021, the IIHF announced that it had moved the tournament to Nottingham, Great Britain due to COVID-19 restrictions in South Korea.[9]
Source: IIHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament. (H) Host Notes:
^ abcSouth Korea 3 Pts, +2 GD; Great Britain 3 Pts, 0 GD; Slovenia 3 Pts, −2 GD
Source: IIHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament. (H) Host
Source: IIHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament. (H) Host
Teams ranked 7th to 15th, plus three qualifiers played in three tournaments to determine qualifiers for the Olympic tournament. Each tournament winner was ranked by their qualification seeding and played in Group B as qualifier one, two, or three. These tournaments were scheduled to take place from 26 to 29 August 2021, but were postponed until 11 to 14 November 2021.[4]
Group C
The tournament was held in Chomutov, Czech Republic.
Source: IIHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament. (H) Host
Source: IIHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament. (H) Host
Source: IIHF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament. (H) Host
