Olympia 2026: German ice hockey women lose 1:4 against Sweden

AOn Thursday the sun appeared over Milan for the first time this week. Glowing orange-red, it rose from the haze of the past wet gray days. What a beacon for the German ice hockey women, for whom these Winter Games began this Thursday, one day before the Olympic flame was lit. In the days before, they had hardly known what to do with their drive. No statement without mentioning how much energy there is in the team and how great the anticipation is.

On the Monday without training, the players strolled through the city and visited the cathedral, on Tuesday they led journalists through the Olympic Village and opened their room doors, captain Daria Gleißner happened to meet IOC President Kirsty Coventry and had coffee with her. Any distraction was fine. For Gleißner, the test of nerves lasted particularly long; she was already in the Olympic squad in 2014 before she was injured before the first game. “It was twelve years of hard work,” said the 32-year-old. “We can hardly wait for it to finally get started,” said goalkeeper Sandra Abstreiter. “Sweden is a real endurance test.”

Nobody would know this better than striker Franziska Feldmeier, who played a season for HC Linköping in the Swedish women’s hockey league (SDHL) played. For Feldmeier, February 5, 2026 was a double holiday. First thing in the morning, the Munich native, who plays for the Eisbären Juniors Berlin, received congratulations on her 27th birthday. And now, finally, the first game at the Olympics, like for all of her teammates.

Out in Rho, in the gigantic exhibition center an hour outside of Milan, the sun had not yet been able to drive away the fog. So the Germans turned on the lights. With the first shot on goal, national coach Jeff MacLeod’s selection took the lead. Defender Nina Jobst-Smith from the Vancouver Goldeneyes, one of three German players from the North American professional league PWHL, scored in the power play to make it 1-0 (9th minute of the game). However, it didn’t take the Swedes long to equalize through Lina Ljungblom (12′).

Franziska Feldmeier had herself photographed by Playboy magazine

The game developed into the announced endurance test, which was to be understood quite literally. Long gone are the days when women’s ice hockey was played almost physically. A penalty against Celina Haider paved the way for Sweden to take the lead, Lina Ljungblom was again the last to reach the target (28th), another penalty against Emily Nix led to Mira Jungaker making it 1:3 (40th). The German team passed the acid test, but ultimately lost 1:4 (1:1, 0:2, 0:1).

“That wasn’t a 1:4 game in my eyes,” said Daria Gleißner. “The penalties made us lose the flow a bit, and that’s crucial at this level.” The national coach also saw a “very physical game”, especially it was “the first game at the Olympics for everyone”, said Jeff MacLeod: “There is no one who can tell you, do this or don’t do that. But it is a good learning experience for everyone.”

The other opponents in Group B are Japan (Saturday), France (Monday) and hosts Italy (Tuesday). The German team must at least finish third in the group in order to qualify for the quarter-finals.

In addition to training and sightseeing, Franziska Feldmeier used the time before the games to have a special personal experience and to relax Playboy have photographed. Ice hockey players usually wear a lot of equipment on their bodies. This time Feldmeier was able to move freely. “An athletic, muscular body can be just as feminine and beautiful,” she is quoted in the magazine. “That’s exactly what I wanted to show.”

Showing up to be seen is what Feldmeier and the team are all about in these games. Women’s ice hockey has to fight for every bit of publicity in everyday life, apart from the Olympics, World Cup and Germany Cup. The Olympic Games, says Feldmeier, are a way to do this and an opportunity to draw attention to yourself. Her motto is written on Feldmeier’s room door in the Olympic Village: “To be alive is the strange and wondrous miracle we forget.” We should actually think more often about how inexplicable and wondrous this life is. And sometimes it throws you unexpected opportunities.

The day before the game against Sweden, Daria Gleißner was asked what she thought of it Playboy– performance of her colleague. She said: “It’s her decision. Every woman can show herself the way she wants. And I don’t want to say anything more about it.” Then she said something else with a smile: “We are grateful for any attention.” The team still has at least three opportunities to show off at the Olympics. It should use them.