2026 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup final
International field hockey match
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The 2026 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup final was the final match of the 2026 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup, the 16th edition of the quadrennial world championship for men's national field hockey teams organized by the International Hockey Federation. The match was played at Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium, on 30 August 2026, and was contested by Spain and defending champions Germany.
The Belfius Hockey Arena hosted the final. | |||||||
| Event | 2026 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 30 August 2026 | ||||||
| Venue | Belfius Hockey Arena, Wavre | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Christopher Rühr (Germany) | ||||||
| Referee | Gareth Greenfield (New Zealand) Coen van Bunge (Netherlands) | ||||||
The tournament involved co-hosts Belgium and Netherlands alongside 14 other teams. The 16 teams competed in a group stage, from which 8 teams qualified for the second round and 4 later advanced to the semifinals.
For Spain, it was the third final and it was the sixth final for the Germans. The two teams met earlier in the tournament, with the Spanish winning 2–1. It was the first time the two teams met in a World Cup final.
Michel Struthoff's solitary goal helped Germany retain their title.[1]
Background
The 2026 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup was the 16th edition of the Men's FIH Hockey World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national field hockey teams organized by the International Hockey Federation. It was held from 15 to 30 August 2026 in Wavre, Belgium and Amstelveen, Netherlands.
Belgium and Netherlands were given the hosting rights in November 2022, beating a joint bid from England and Wales as well as a South African bid in the process. This was the first time the men's event was co-hosted. This also marked Belgium's first and Netherlands' fourth time hosting. This was also the first time the men's and women's world cup were held as one joint tournament.
16 teams participated for the third time after the expansion in 2018. Qualification was an amalgamation of the FIH Pro League, continental championships and the World Cup Qualifiers. Qualification took place from December 2023 to March 2026 to decide the qualifiers.
Germany were the defending champions having defeated Belgium 5–4 in a shootout after the match finished 3–3 in regular time in Bhubaneswar.
Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first.
| Round | ||||
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| Opponent | Result | First round | Opponent | Result |
| 3–1 | Match 1 | 5–1 | ||
| 0–1 | Match 2 | 1–0 | ||
| 3–1 | Match 3 | 1–1 | ||
| Pool A placement | Final standings | Pool B placement | ||
| Opponent | Result | Second round | Opponent | Result |
| 2–1 | Match 4 | 1–2 | ||
| 1–1 | Match 5 | 4–2 | ||
| Pool F placement | Final standings | Pool F placement | ||
| Opponent | Result | Knockout stage | Opponent | Result |
| 4–3 | Semifinals | 2–1 | ||
Venue
The Belfius Hockey Arena hosted the final for the first time.
| Wavre | ||
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| Belfius Hockey Arena | ||
| Capacity: 10,000 | ||
Match
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Technical official:
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Match rules
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Squads
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