Tayyab Ikram: Record audiences confirm hockey's global rise, while LA28 opens up the huge US market
LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium - International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Tayyab Ikram said the 2026 World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands shows that field hockey is simultaneously growing stronger in the stands, on digital platforms and beyond its traditionally strongest markets. Speaking to Inside The Games in Louvain-la-Neuve, in Belgium's Walloon Brabant, Ikram singled out audience interest as the most important indicator: full stands even at matches in which the host national teams are not playing and, according to FIH data published on 24 August, 106.4 million views of World Cup content on the federation's official digital channels. For the FIH president, these results are not merely marketing statistics but confirmation that the sport can attract people who had not previously followed it regularly. He also considers the composition of the final stages particularly important, with national teams from several continents appearing, which he sees as evidence of hockey's broader competitiveness and international reach.
The World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands is being held from 15 to 30 August in Wavre and Amstelveen, with 16 women's and 16 men's national teams. FIH combined these two tournaments organizationally into one major event, while the inaugural Para Hockey World Cup was held as a separate competition. Ikram stressed in the interview that FIH views the men's and women's parts of the championship as a single whole, which is also important in the discussion about a possible expansion in the number of participants. Although the federation considered increasing the field from 16 to 24 national teams per gender, the FIH president believes that a joint event with a total of 48 senior national teams would currently be too large and too stretched organizationally. His message is that the growth in the number of countries seeking access to the biggest stage must be aligned with the quality of competition, the athletes' experience and the feasibility of the event itself.
More than 106 million views and an audience beyond the existing fan base
The most concrete argument for the growth in visibility comes from digital data published by FIH while the championship had not yet reached its final stage. According to the federation, World Cup-related content had accumulated 106.4 million views on its platforms by the end of the second group stage. Instagram led with 66.7 million views, Facebook had 32.6 million, TikTok 4.5 million and YouTube 2.65 million. At the same time, FIH reported more than 62 million in total reported reach across platforms and more than 2.9 million interactions. On Instagram, according to the same source, more than 11 million users who had not previously followed the federation's official profile were reached, while 28,400 new follows were recorded on Meta platforms during the tournament.
For FIH, it is particularly important that a large share of the views does not come only from the existing community. The federation states that 70.6 percent of Instagram views and 62 percent of interactions were generated among users outside its previous follower base. Ikram described these indicators as confirmation of a strategy that, alongside results, highlights athletes, emotions, fans and behind-the-scenes content. National teams, continental federations and players thus further expand the reach, with the aim of maintaining audience interest between matches.
Digital growth builds on what Ikram is seeing in the stadiums. He pointed out that the stands are well filled even when Belgium or the Netherlands are not playing, two countries with deep club and national-team traditions. At the National Associations Summit, FIH praised the engagement of fans, volunteers and hosts. For Ikram's administration, it is precisely the combination of full stands and digital reach that shows whether the sport is expanding beyond traditional hockey centers.
A final stage featuring several continents as an argument for universality
Ikram also linked international development to the composition of the semifinals. As of 27 August, the women's final stage consisted of the Netherlands, Belgium, Argentina and Australia, while the men's semifinals, scheduled for 28 August, featured the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Argentina. This means that Europe, South America and Oceania are represented in the decisive battles, with Argentina reaching the semifinals in both competitions. The FIH president sees precisely such a distribution as an indicator that the medal race is not confined to a single region, even though traditional powers continue to play a strong role.
That picture, however, does not mean that global competitiveness is completely balanced. For years, FIH has been trying to expand the number of countries that regularly play high-quality international matches, and in that context Ikram cites the FIH Pro League, Nations Cup and Nations Cup 2 as layers of a system intended to provide national teams of different levels with more meaningful competitive pathways. In the interview, he estimated that around 35 to 40 countries are involved in various FIH international structures, while the federation simultaneously supports development in some national associations financially and through infrastructure. At the National Associations Summit, FIH additionally cited projects for new places to play, including Hockey5s pitches, coach development and programs supported through Olympic Solidarity.
Why FIH does not currently want a World Cup with 48 national teams
The question of expanding the senior World Cup arises logically because FIH has already increased the number of participants at junior level from 16 to 24, explaining the move as providing greater access to global competitions for countries that had previously rarely reached the final tournament. The senior level, however, requires a different assessment, according to Ikram. In Louvain-la-Neuve, he said that an increase to 24 national teams per gender had been considered, but that a total of 48 teams in a unified men's and women's event would stretch the schedule and organization too far. His current position is that 16 national teams per competition is the appropriate format, with the possibility of reopening the issue in the future.
Such an approach demonstrates the federation's dual strategy: at the development level, broaden access to international competitions, while at senior level preserving a format intended to maintain quality, logistical sustainability and the value of every match. In a joint men's and women's World Cup, every increase has a double effect on the number of teams, training sessions, accommodation, pitches, officials and the duration of the event.
Athletes at the center of the strategy, from mental health to decision-making
Ikram does not link hockey's growth only to the number of spectators and markets. During the current World Cup, FIH organized its first Athletes Forum, where athletes, members of the FIH Athletes Committee, young ambassadors and representatives of the Olympic movement discussed mental health, athletes' rights, careers after elite sport and a greater role for players in decision-making. FIH identified four main areas of the forum: the vision of the Athletes Committee, the Athlete365 platform, mental health and career transition. Ikram stated that mental health and athlete well-being are among the key items on the federation's current agenda.
In the interview with Inside The Games, he recalled that one of his first commitments after taking over the presidency was to create a space in which players could speak about topics beyond results, form and performance. FIH now plans to expand the forum and involve more countries, linking that direction to his own phrase "empowerment and engagement", that is, empowerment and engagement. At the National Associations Summit on 26 August, more than 30 national associations, continental federations, partners and guests discussed the future of the sport, including relevance to younger generations, sustainability, the development of women in hockey, infrastructure and the relationship with the Olympic movement. FIH also presented a new strategy structured around five pillars: athletes, community, movement, impact and growth.
Los Angeles 2028 as a test for a huge but different US market
Los Angeles 2028 occupies a special place in Ikram's plans. The Olympic field hockey tournament will feature 12 men's and 12 women's national teams, while the United States, as host, has a guaranteed place in both competitions. Under the qualification rules approved by the International Olympic Committee, some places are allocated through the FIH Pro League, continental championships and final qualification tournaments.
Hockey in Los Angeles will be played at Carson Field, in the sports complex south of the city center. LA28 organizers state that the existing fields, which are used as a training facility by football club LA Galaxy, will be temporarily transformed into an Olympic hockey venue. Such a solution fits the broader concept of the Games, which relies on existing or temporary infrastructure instead of constructing new permanent venues. For FIH, the more important question is what will remain after the tournament: greater visibility for the sport, a larger number of people watching field hockey for the first time and a stronger development pathway in a country where the sport has a different market position than in the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, India or Argentina.
Ikram said in Louvain-la-Neuve that "more than half a million girls" play hockey in US schools and universities and cited that base as a reason why the American market should not be missed. That figure, however, was not further explained methodologically in the published interview, while publicly available data for high-school field hockey show a significantly smaller number. USA Field Hockey, citing data from the US National Federation of State High School Associations, states that 51,728 girls at 1,766 schools participated in high-school field hockey in the 2023/24 school year. Those data do not cover all age groups, clubs and university programs and therefore are not fully comparable with Ikram's wording, but on their own they do not confirm a figure of more than half a million. Assessing the true size of the US base would require clarification of what FIH included in its calculation.
Despite that difference in publicly available statistics, the strategic logic of LA28 for FIH remains clear. The United States has a huge school and university sports market, a strong Olympic commercial ecosystem and the potential for a single global event to bring the sport an audience that otherwise rarely follows it. An additional advantage is the fact that the US national teams, as hosts, are guaranteed to compete, meaning promotion does not depend on the outcome of qualification. Ikram therefore does not see Los Angeles merely as a two-week Olympic tournament, but as an opportunity for the longer-term positioning of field hockey in North America.
Brisbane 2032 brings a different kind of opportunity
If Los Angeles is a market that FIH wants to open up more strongly, Brisbane 2032 is located in a country where hockey already has a deep tradition. Ikram describes Australia as a "great hockey country" and points to the sport's strong connection with the Australian community, national-team success and the elite-sport system. FIH and the Brisbane 2032 organizers have already discussed preparations and the legacy of the Olympic tournament, and in April 2025 the federation announced that it was considering an athlete-centered approach, infrastructure and operational requirements with the organizing leadership. For FIH, Brisbane is an opportunity to turn Olympic visibility into new investment in the sport where a broad base of expertise and fans already exists.
The difference between Los Angeles and Brisbane therefore illustrates well the two sides of the global strategy. In one market, greater recognition needs to be built and the Olympic moment converted into lasting interest, while in the other it is possible to rely on an existing sporting culture and try to modernize it further. Ikram links both events to the need for associations to move beyond, as he put it, the "status quo", adapt to new audience habits and be prepared to change the way they present hockey. At the summit in Belgium, FIH identified relevance to younger generations as one of the fundamental questions for the period through 2032.
The audience is no longer just a spectator
In the final part of the conversation, Ikram described the audience as a stakeholder and partner in the sport, rather than a passive observer. That view explains why FIH places such emphasis on data about digital reach, content created by athletes and communication by national associations. If a large share of the 106.4 million views truly comes from people who did not previously follow FIH, the next challenge will be to convert short-term attention during the World Cup into longer-term following of national teams, leagues and the Olympic cycle. The competition system will also play an important role in this: new fans must have sufficiently clear, regular and accessible events that they can follow between the biggest tournaments.
The 2026 World Cup thus becomes more than a battle for medals for FIH. Record digital results, full venues, a diverse semifinal lineup, the first Athletes Forum and discussions among national associations are being used as indicators of the direction in which the federation wants to move. For now, Ikram does not want to expand the senior tournament simply because interest is growing, but at the same time he wants more countries in international competitions, greater athlete influence on decision-making and stronger access to new audiences. Los Angeles 2028 should show how far hockey can expand its reach in the huge US market, while Brisbane 2032 should demonstrate how the Olympic moment can be used in a country where the sport is already part of a strong tradition. In both cases, FIH's ambition is the same: to measure growth not only by the number of matches, but by how many people follow, play and experience the sport as their own.
Sources:
- Inside The Games - interview with FIH President Tayyab Ikram in Louvain-la-Neuve, statements on audiences, global growth, the World Cup format, LA28 and Brisbane 2032 (link)
- International Hockey Federation (FIH) - official data on 106.4 million views, reach and audience engagement during the 2026 World Cup (link)
- International Hockey Federation (FIH) - 2026 World Cup format, number of national teams and organization of the tournament in Wavre and Amstelveen (link)
- International Hockey Federation (FIH) - qualification system for the Olympic tournaments in Los Angeles 2028 and the number of participants per gender (link)
- LA28 - official information on hockey at the 2028 Olympic Games and Carson Field as the competition venue (link)
- International Hockey Federation (FIH) - first FIH Athletes Forum, topics of mental health, Athlete365 and career transition (link)
- International Hockey Federation (FIH) - National Associations Summit and the federation's development priorities toward 2032 (link)
- USA Field Hockey / NFHS - data on girls' participation in high-school field hockey in the United States in the 2023/24 school year (link)
- International Hockey Federation (FIH) - decision to expand the Junior World Cup to 24 national teams and the developmental rationale for the change (link)
- International Hockey Federation (FIH) - cooperation with the Brisbane 2032 organizers and planning for Olympic hockey in Australia (link)