The world's best hockey nations, 16 in the men's competition and the same number in the women's, will compete for the world title in Belgium and the Netherlands during the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup in August next year. The exact match times for both host countries in the group stages were revealed today, marking the start of the first round of ticket sales. The Red Lions and Red Panthers will play their group matches in Wavre, in the brand-new Belfius Hockey Arena. The iconic Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam will be the Dutch home base.
The 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup will take place from 15 to 30 August 2026 and will be a unique collaboration between hockey powerhouses Belgium and the Netherlands - silver medallists at the last men’s World Cup and reigning women's World Champions respectively - together with the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
Half of the matches will be played in Wavre, Belgium, and the other half in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is only the third time in history that both the men's and women's World Cups will take place simultaneously and in the same stadiums; the previous times were in Utrecht (1998) and The Hague (2014), also on Dutch soil.
Belgium is hosting the FIH Hockey World Cup for the first time. What’s more, the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup will be the first ever world championship for a team sport in French-speaking Belgium. Of course, Belgium is no stranger to organising major international hockey tournaments. With the European Championships in Boom (2013) and Antwerp (2019), the EuroHockey Junior Championship in Ghent (2021) and six seasons of the FIH Hockey Pro League, Belgium has proven to be a reliable and innovative host.
FIH President Tayyab Ikram:
“The FIH Hockey World Cup is the pinnacle of our events, where so many legends were made. Showcasing the best athletes of world hockey, the upcoming edition will be a true celebration of sport excellence, thanks to our incredible athletes, and inclusion, with women’s and men’s playing the prestigious tournament at the same time and in the same venues, and our first ever FIH ParaHockey World Cup being launched on that occasion! Together with our friends from Belgium and the Netherlands, two hockey powerhouses on the global hockey map, we look forward to an amazing World Cup that will promote the values of our sport, including fair-play, respect and togetherness. We will put together the most adequate conditions for athletes to showcase their amazing talent! And we will thrive to convey hockey’s global showpiece to all fans around the world, thanks to our broadcast partners and digital platforms. On behalf of FIH, I extend our sincerest appreciation to our hosts for their commitment and efforts and call upon all fans to securing their attendance at the World Cup already now!”
16 of the 32 participating nations already known
16 men’s teams and 16 women’s teams will take part in the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup. In addition to Belgium and the Netherlands, Argentina, China, Germany, New Zealand, Spain and the USA have already secured their place in the women's tournament. In addition to the host countries, Argentina, Australia, Germany, India, New Zealand and Spain have also already secured their ticket for the men's tournament. In October, after the African Continental Championships, we will also know the African representatives, one per gender. The remaining participating teams will come from the Qualifiers that will be played in early 2026.
New Competition Format
The final tournament will be played according to a new competition format. The countries will be divided into four groups of four. After the first group stage, the top two from each group will advance to a second group stage: the winners and runners-up from groups A and D will form the new group E. The same goes for groups B and C, which will form the new group F. Similar to the numbers one and two, the numbers three and four will also form new groups after the first group stage: groups G and H.
In this second group stage, each country plays two more matches, against the two 'new' countries in the group. The result achieved against the country already played in the first group stage also counts towards the final ranking in the new group. The best two teams from the new groups E and F advance to the semi-finals. The third and fourth-placed teams will play placement matches for rankings 5 to 8. The countries from groups G and H will compete for places 9 to 16.
Both in Wavre and Amsterdam, one semi-final for the men and one for the women will be played. This will naturally be followed by the finals: the women's final in Amsterdam on Saturday 29 August, and the men's final in Wavre on Sunday 30 August.
Draw in March 2026
In March 2026, after the final qualifying matches, all participating countries will be known and the draw will take place. Then all teams will know their opponents and which city will be their base for the first ten days of the tournament.
Promoting diversity and inclusion
Hockey’s world governing has decided to organise, alongside the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup, its first ever FIH ParaHockey World Cup for athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID), marking a historic milestone for diversity and inclusion. The finals will be played in the same arenas, in Wavre and Amsterdam.
FIH President Tayyab Ikram:
"I’m so happy that we’ve decided to create the first-ever FIH ParaHockey World Cup, which will be played alongside the 2026 World Cup, also in Belgium and the Netherlands. This is a great milestone. For us, diversity and inclusion are key principles that we’re including in everything we do. ParaHockey is a steadily growing format in our sport globally, which we’re very proud of. I already invite all hockey fans to come and support ParaHockey athletes for this historic event, which will be repeated in the future as well."
For all information about the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026, please visit www.worldcup.hockey
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