The tournament will be contested by 16 national teams in a 6-a-side format, with mixed-gender teams comprising male and female athletes competing together under the FIH Hockey ID Rules. One notable difference in rules is the lack of penalty corners, which are replaced by a one-v-one shootout. The attacker is given 10 seconds to score on the goalie from the halfway line.[2] It will be held alongside the 2026 Men's and Women's World Cups in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Teams
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) invited national associations to participate in the inaugural tournament. Sixteen national teams accepted the invitation and were confirmed for the competition. On 2 April 2026, the FIH announced the participating teams and the pool allocation for the tournament.[3]
The tournament features 16 national teams divided into two pools of eight.
During the pool stage, held from 20 to 23 August 2026, each team plays every other team in its pool once, resulting in 56 matches. The standings in each pool determine qualification for the final ranking matches.
On 24 August 2026, the top-ranked teams from each pool contest the final to determine the champion, while the second-placed teams compete in the bronze medal match. The remaining teams play classification matches to determine the final rankings from fifth to sixteenth place.[9]
Venues
Following is a list of all venues and host cities across the Netherlands and Belgium.
First match(es) will be played: 20 August 2026. Source: FIH Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) matches won; 3) goal difference; 4) goals for; 5) head-to-head result; 6) field goals scored. (H) Hosts
First match(es) will be played: 20 August 2026. Source: FIH Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) matches won; 3) goal difference; 4) goals for; 5) head-to-head result; 6) field goals scored. (H) Hosts
Belgium (H)
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Pakistan
United States
Zambia
Argentina
Bulgaria
Chile
England
India
Malaysia
Netherlands (H)
Spain