2026 Women's FIH Hockey World Cup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Host countriesBelgium
Netherlands
Netherlands
CitiesWavre
Amstelveen
Amstelveen
Dates14–30 August
Teams16 (from 5 confederations)
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| Tournament details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Host countries | Belgium Netherlands | ||
| Cities | Wavre Amstelveen | ||
| Dates | 14–30 August | ||
| Teams | 16 (from 5 confederations) | ||
| Venue | 2 (in 2 host cities) | ||
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The 2026 Women's FIH Hockey World Cup will be the 16th edition of the Women's FIH Hockey World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for women's national field hockey teams organized by the International Hockey Federation. It will be held from 14 to 30 August 2026 in Wavre, Belgium and Amstelveen, Netherlands.
Belgium and Netherlands were given the hosting rights in November 2022, beating bids from Australia, South Africa and Uruguay in the process. This will be the second time the women's event is co-hosted after 2022. This also marks Belgium's first and Netherlands' fifth time hosting.
16 teams will participate 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 in December 2023 to March 2026 to decide the qualifiers.
Netherlands are the defending champions after defeating the Argentina 3–1 at the 2022 final in Terrassa.
The International Hockey Federation announced on 15 June 2022 that they had received the following four bids for the 2026 World Cup.[1][2] The winning bid was to be announced on 3 November 2022.
- Melbourne/Geelong, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane/Gold Coast, Australia
- Montevideo, Uruguay
The following two bids included holding combined women's and men's world cup simultaneously:
- Wavre, Belgium and Amstelveen, Netherlands (joint bid)
- Potchefstroom, South Africa
Wavre, Belgium and Amstelveen, Netherlands were awarded the hosting rights on 3 November 2022.[3]
Teams
Qualification
Just as in 2018 and 2023, 16 teams will compete in the tournament. Alongside hosts, Belgium and Netherlands, the top-ranked team in the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons in the FIH Pro League and the five continental champions receive an automatic berth. The other 16 teams will compete for the last seven places in the World Cup Qualifiers.
Qualified
Hosts
| Dates | Event | Location | Quotas | Qualifier(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 November 2022 | Hosts | N/a | 2 |  Belgium Netherlands |
| 6 December 2023 – 29 June 2024 | 2023–24 FIH Pro League | N/a | 1 |  Germany |
| 30 November 2024 – 29 June 2025 | 2024–25 FIH Pro League | N/a | 1 |  Argentina |
| 24 July – 3 August 2025 | 2025 Pan American Cup |  Montevideo |
1 |  United States |
| 9–17 August 2025 | 2025 EuroHockey Championship | Mönchengladbach |
1 |  Spain |
| 4–7 September 2025 | 2025 Oceania Cup |  Darwin |
1 |  New Zealand |
| 5–14 September 2025 | 2025 Asia Cup |  Hangzhou |
1 | China |
| 11–18 October 2025 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations |  Ismailia |
1 |  South Africa |
| 2–8 March 2026 | 2026 World Cup Qualifiers |  Santiago |
4 | Australia Chile Ireland Japan |
| 8–14 March 2026 |  Hyderabad |
3 |  England India Scotland | |
| Total | 16 | |||
Summary of qualified teams
| Team | Qualification method | Date of qualification | Appearance(s) | Previous best performance[A] | WR[B] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | First | Last | Streak | |||||
| Belgium |
Co-hosts | 3 November 2022 | 8th | 1974 | 2022 | 4 | Third place (1978) | TBD |
| Netherlands |
16th | 1974 | 16 | Champions (Nine times)[C] | TBD | |||
| Germany |
2023–24 FIH Pro League | 27 June 2024 | 16th | 1974 | 16 | Champions (1976, 1981) | TBD | |
| Argentina |
2024–25 FIH Pro League | 22 June 2025 | 16th | 1974 | 16 | Champions (2002, 2010) | TBD | |
| United States |
2025 Pan American Cup | 1 August 2025 | 10th | 1983 | 2018 | 1 | Third place (1994) | TBD |
| Spain |
2025 EuroHockey Championship | 13 August 2025 | 13th | 1974 | 2022 | 3 | Third place (2018) | TBD |
| New Zealand |
2025 Oceania Cup | 7 September 2025 | 10th | 1983 | 5 | Fourth place (1986) | TBD | |
| China |
2025 Asia Cup | 14 September 2025 | 10th | 1990 | 10 | Third place (2002) | TBD | |
| South Africa |
2025 Africa Cup of Nations | 18 October 2025 | 8th | 1998 | 8 | Seventh place (1998) | TBD | |
| Australia |
2026 World Cup Qualifiers | 7 March 2026 | 13th | 1981 | 13 | Champions (1994, 1998) | TBD | |
| Chile |
2nd | 2022 | 2 | Thirteenth place (2022) | TBD | |||
| Ireland |
8 March 2026 | 6th | 1986 | 2022 | 3 | Runners-up (2018) | TBD | |
| England |
13 March 2026 | 12th | 1983 | 12 | Third place (2010) | TBD | ||
| India |
9th | 1974 | 3 | Fourth place (1974) | TBD | |||
| Japan |
10th | 1978 | 4 | Fifth place (2006) | TBD | |||
| Scotland |
14 March 2026 | 16th | 1983 | 2002 | 1 | Eighth place (1983) | TBD | |
Venues
Following is a list of all venues and host cities.
| Netherlands | Belgium | |
|---|---|---|
| Wagener Stadium | Belfius Hockey Arena | |
| Capacity: 15,000 | Capacity: 10,000 | |
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Draw
The draw took place on 17 March 2026.[4][5]
Seeding
As tournament hosts, Belgium and the Netherlands were assigned pools to compete in home matches until the semi-finals and classification matches.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
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First round
The hosts schedule was published on 30 September 2025.[6] The match schedule was revealed on 18 March 2026.[7]
All times are local (UTC+2).
Pool A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands (H) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Second round |
| 2 | Australia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Chile |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9th–16th classification |
| 4 | Japan |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First match(es) will be played: 15 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
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
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Pool B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Second round |
| 2 | Germany |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | United States |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9th–16th classification |
| 4 | Scotland |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First match(es) will be played: 15 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.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) matches won; 3) goal difference; 4) goals for; 5) head-to-head result; 6) field goals scored.
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Pool C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium (H) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Second round |
| 2 | Spain |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | New Zealand |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9th–16th classification |
| 4 | Ireland |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First match(es) will be played: 16 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
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
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Pool D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Second round |
| 2 | England |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | India |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9th–16th classification |
| 4 | South Africa |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First match(es) will be played: 16 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.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) matches won; 3) goal difference; 4) goals for; 5) head-to-head result; 6) field goals scored.
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Second round
Pool E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Semifinals |
| 2 | E2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | E3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5th–8th classification |
| 4 | E4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First match(es) will be played: 21 August 2026. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) matches won; 3) goal difference; 4) goals for; 5) head-to-head result; 6) field goals scored.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) matches won; 3) goal difference; 4) goals for; 5) head-to-head result; 6) field goals scored.
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Pool F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Semifinals |
| 2 | F2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | F3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5th–8th classification |
| 4 | F4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First match(es) will be played: 22 August 2026. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) matches won; 3) goal difference; 4) goals for; 5) head-to-head result; 6) field goals scored.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) matches won; 3) goal difference; 4) goals for; 5) head-to-head result; 6) field goals scored.
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Classification round
Pool G
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | G2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | G3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | G4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First match(es) will be played: 21 August 2026. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) matches won; 3) goal difference; 4) goals for; 5) head-to-head result; 6) field goals scored.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) matches won; 3) goal difference; 4) goals for; 5) head-to-head result; 6) field goals scored.
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Pool H
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | H1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | H2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | H3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | H4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First match(es) will be played: 22 August 2026. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) matches won; 3) goal difference; 4) goals for; 5) head-to-head result; 6) field goals scored.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) matches won; 3) goal difference; 4) goals for; 5) head-to-head result; 6) field goals scored.
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15th place match
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13th place match
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11th place match
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9th place match
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7th place match
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5th place match
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First to fourth place classification
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 27 August | ||||||
| E1 | ||||||
| 29 August | ||||||
| F2 | ||||||
| Winner SF1 | ||||||
| 27 August | ||||||
| Winner SF2 | ||||||
| F1 | ||||||
| E2 | ||||||
| Third place | ||||||
| 29 August | ||||||
| Loser SF1 | ||||||
| Loser SF2 | ||||||
Semifinals
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Bronze medal match
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Gold medal match
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