Lausanne (Switzerland), April 2 (IANS) The 16 men’s and women’s teams from across the world will be reaching Belgium and the Netherlands in 500 days from now for the FIH Hockey World Cup, which will be played from August 15 to 30, 2026.
The first match of the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup will be played exactly 500 days from today, opening the show for FIH’s most prestigious global hockey event. This will be the first time that the FIH will combine the Women’s and the Men’s World Cups and will be co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands.
In addition to the host countries, the teams of Germany (women) and Australia (men) won their tickets to the World Cup via the FIH Hockey Pro League last season. The next two teams (a women’s team and a men’s team) will also qualify via the Pro League.
“The five Continental Championships – which will take place between July and September 2026 – will enable 5 other teams per gender to qualify,” the International Hockey Federation (FIH) informed in a release on Wednesday.
“The remaining seven participating teams – from 16 in total per gender – will come from the World Cup Qualifiers, which will take place next year, currently scheduled from February 28 to March 8, 2026,” the FIH release added.
The draw to determine the four pools per gender for the group stage of the World Cup will happen shortly after these Qualifiers.
FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “The FIH Hockey World Cup is the most prestigious of our events. This is where legends are made. A fantastic window for our top athletes to showcase their amazing skills, for the greatest delight of all hockey fans around the world. We look forward to a fantastic edition in Belgium and the Netherlands, two of the greatest hockey powerhouses, that will involve the world’s most talented female and male hockey players.”
“On this symbolic day, the World Cup becomes more real than ever. With further teams qualifying soon, it really is taking shape, and I already invite all hockey fans to pencil the tournament dates in their agendas and plan a trip to Belgium and the Netherlands in 500 days,” he added.
“Within the two host countries, preparations are intensifying, especially in terms of the arenas that will host the event. In the Netherlands, the capacity of the famous Wagener Stadium, located in Amstelveen, near Amsterdam, will be temporarily increased to 10,000 seats. In Belgium, one of the major legacies of the World Cup will be the delivery of a completely renovated stadium, dedicated exclusively to hockey and located in Wavre, south-east of the capital, Brussels,” the FIH informed.
Erik Gerritsen, CEO of the Dutch Hockey Association said: “The plans to make this World Cup wonderful are coming together more and more each day! The collaboration is intensifying, and it’s shaping up to be an international hockey celebration in both the Netherlands and Belgium. We’re building on the successes of past editions in The Netherlands in 1998, 2014, and 2022, while also exploring exciting new possibilities for this tournament. We are excited for what’s to come!”
His Belgian counterpart, CEO Serge Pilet, added: “I am convinced that our collaboration with the Dutch federation in this joint organisation will result in a spectacular and unforgettable double-gender Hockey World Cup. For the Belgian part, this event will be held in our brand-new hockey stadium in Wavre. The building of this state-of-the-art hockey arena should be completed by the end of this year. This is thrilling news for Belgian hockey.”
–IANS
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