In precisely 500 days, the very first match of the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cupwill open the present for FIH’s most prestigious international hockey occasion! This version, that may mix the Ladies’s and the Males’s World Cups, will probably be co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands.
Along with the host international locations, the groups of Germany (ladies) and Australia (males) gained their ticket to the World Cup through the FIH Hockey Professional League final season. Additionally it is because of the Professional League that the following two groups will qualify (a ladies’s workforce and a males’s workforce).
The 5 Continental Championships – which can happen between July and September – will allow 5 different groups per gender to qualify.
The remaining 7 taking part groups – from 16 in whole per gender – will come from the World Cup Qualifiers which can happen subsequent yr, at the moment scheduled from 28 February to eight March 2026.
The draw to find out the 4 swimming pools per gender for the group stage of the World Cup will occur shortly after these Qualifiers.
FIH President Tayyab Ikram mentioned: “The FIH Hockey World Cup is probably the most prestigious of our occasions. That is the place legends are made. A improbable window for our prime athletes to showcase their superb abilities, for the best delight of all hockey followers world wide. We look ahead to a improbable version in Belgium and the Netherlands, two of the best hockey powerhouses, that may contain the world’s most gifted feminine and male hockey gamers!
On this symbolic day, the World Cup turns into extra actual than ever. With additional groups qualifying quickly, it truly is taking form, and I already invite all hockey followers to pencil the match dates of their agendas and plan a visit to Belgium and the Netherlands in 500 days!”
Inside the two host international locations, preparations are intensifying, particularly when it comes to the arenas that may host the occasion. Within the Netherlands, the capability of the well-known Wagener Stadium, situated in Amstelveen, close to Amsterdam, will probably be quickly elevated to 10,000 seats. In Belgium, one of many main legacies of the World Cup would be the supply of a very renovated stadium, devoted completely to hockey and situated in Wavre, south-east of the capital, Brussels.
Erik Gerritsen, CEO of the Dutch Hockey Affiliation mentioned: “The plans to make this World Cup great are coming collectively an increasing number of every day! The collaboration is intensifying, and it’s shaping as much as be a world hockey celebration in each the Netherlands and Belgium. We’re constructing on the successes of previous editions in The Netherlands in 1998, 2014, and 2022, whereas additionally exploring thrilling new prospects for this match. We’re excited for what’s to return!”
His Belgian counterpart, CEO Serge Pilet added: “I’m satisfied that our collaboration with the Dutch federation on this joint organisation will end in a spectacular and unforgettable double-gender Hockey World Cup. For the Belgian half, this occasion will probably be held in our model new hockey stadium in Wavre. The constructing of this state-of-the-art hockey enviornment must be accomplished by the top of this yr. That is thrilling information for Belgian hockey!”
The 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup will probably be performed from 15 to 30 August 2026.
