Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

The 16th edition of the Hockey World Cup 2026 will feature 16 of the best teams from across the globe. This prestigious tournament will be co-hosted by Netherlands and Belgium, both of whom have already secured automatic qualification as hosts. The full qualification schedule for the Hockey World Cup 2026 has been announced by the FIH, and here is the breakdown:

Qualified Teams:

Netherlands (Hosts)
Belgium (Hosts)
Australia (2023-2024 Pro League Winners)

Qualifiers Breakdown:

With 3 teams already qualified, there are 13 remaining spots for the mega event, which will be determined through Continental Championships and FIH World Cup Qualifier Events. Here’s the full breakdown:

2024/2025 FIH Pro League:

The winner of the 2024/2025 FIH Hockey Pro League will automatically qualify for the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026.
If the winner has already qualified as a host or as the winner of the 2024-2025 Pro League, the spot will be awarded to the highest-ranked team in the tournament that hasn’t yet qualified.

2025 Hockey Asia Cup:

The winner of the AHF Hockey Asia Cup 2025 will earn an automatic qualification for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026.
Tournament dates are yet to be announced but are expected in mid-2025.

Euro Hockey Championship 2025:

The winning team from the Euro Hockey Championship 2025 will also gain automatic qualification.
If the winning team has already qualified, the spot will go to the highest-ranked team in the tournament.

Africa Cup of Nations 2025:

One spot is allocated from the Hockey Africa Nations Cup 2025 for the Hockey World Cup 2026.
The highest-ranked team from this tournament will secure the qualification.

Pan American Cup 2025:

The Pan American Cup 2025, scheduled in Uruguay from March 5–15, 2025, will offer a direct qualification for the highest-ranked team to the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026.

Oceania Hockey Cup 2025:

The Oceania Hockey Cup 2025 provides an automatic qualification to the highest-ranked team for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026.

FIH Hockey Qualifiers 2026:

After 5 teams from the Continental Championships, 2 from Pro League seasons, and 2 hosts have qualified, there are still 7 open spots for the World Cup. These will be determined through the FIH Qualifiers, which will take place in early 2026.

Two Qualifying Tournaments will be held, each featuring 8 teams. This gives a total of 16 teams, based on the FIH Rankings.
The top 2 finalists from each of the two qualifying tournaments will secure spots in the FIH World Cup 2026.
The bronze medalists from both tournaments will also qualify directly.
The final remaining spot will go to the highest-ranked team from the tournament 1 and 2 that was eliminated in the semifinals of the qualifiers.

Teams will be allocated to these tournaments based on the snake system:

Tournament A: 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16
Tournament B: 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15

Venues for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026:

Wagener Stadium (Netherlands) – Capacity: 15,000
Stade Justin Peeters (Belgium) – Capacity: 10,000

This was the full qualification schedule for the Hockey World Cup 2026. Stay tuned to Sportscursor.live and our YouTube Channel Sports Cursor for the latest updates on field hockey events. Join us to stay connected with the hockey community!