Three World Championships on One Stage: Belgium and the Netherlands Become the Center of World Field Hockey
Belgium and the Netherlands are hosting one of the biggest events in international field hockey from August 15 to 30, 2026: the men's and women's FIH Hockey World Cup, in which a total of 32 national teams are competing for world titles. The International Hockey Federation, FIH, confirmed that 16 teams are participating in both the men's and women's tournaments, with matches divided between Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, in the Amsterdam metropolitan area, and the new Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium. The event has been further expanded with the first FIH Para Hockey World Cup, which will take place from August 20 to 24 and bring together 16 mixed national teams of athletes with intellectual disabilities. This means that three world championship titles will be decided over sixteen days in two neighboring European countries. FIH presents the entire project as a combination of elite competition, equality and inclusion, with Para Hockey being introduced into the World Cup program for the first time as a separate global tournament.
Third Joint Men's and Women's World Cup in History
This year's edition is also special because of the way the men's and women's tournaments have been combined. According to FIH data, this is only the third time in history that the men's and women's World Cups are being held simultaneously at the same main venues. The previous two such editions were held in the Netherlands, in Utrecht in 1998 and The Hague in 2014, while in 2026 Belgium is taking on this role for the first time as well. During the preparations, FIH emphasized that the joint format should give equal visibility to the men's and women's competitions and allow spectators to follow the best national teams in both categories at the same event. Belgium is also hosting the FIH Hockey World Cup for the first time in its history, and the international federation highlighted that this is the first world championship in a team sport to be held in the French-speaking region of Belgium.
The main Belgian stage is the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, a new national hockey stadium built as part of the city's sports center. The Dutch section of the tournament is being played at Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, one of Europe's best-known hockey stadiums and a venue that has already hosted major international competitions. FIH designed the schedule so that half of the program is played in Belgium and half in the Netherlands, meaning that the two countries effectively share the organizational center of the championship. The final stages will also be divided: according to the official competition format, each city will host one men's and one women's semifinal. The women's final is scheduled for August 29 in Amstelveen, while the men's world champion will be decided on August 30 in Wavre.
Thirty-Two National Teams and a New Competition Format
Each of the two elite tournaments has four initial groups of four national teams. In the women's tournament, Pool A brings together the Netherlands, Australia, Chile and Japan, while Pool B consists of Argentina, Germany, the United States and Scotland. Pool C features Belgium, Spain, New Zealand and Ireland, while Pool D includes China, England, India and South Africa. Men's Pool A consists of the Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand and Japan; Pool B is made up of Belgium, Germany, France and Malaysia; Pool C includes Australia, Spain, Ireland and South Africa, while Pool D features England, India, Pakistan and Wales. The composition of the pools was determined by the official draw held on March 17, 2026 at Wagener Stadium.
FIH has also introduced a different system for the continuation of the competition in 2026. After the first group stage, the two best national teams from each pool advance to a second group stage, with the leading teams from Pools A and D forming the new Pool E, while the top teams from Pools B and C form Pool F. In this stage, the national teams play against two new opponents, while the result against the team they already faced in the initial group is carried over into the new standings. The two best teams from Pools E and F then advance to the semifinals, while the others compete for fifth through eighth place. The third- and fourth-placed national teams from the original pools also continue the competition through Pools G and H, where positions from ninth to sixteenth are determined. Such a system means more matches for all participants and reduces the importance of a single elimination match in the early stage of the tournament.
Defending Champions Arrive with Different Historical Burdens
In the men's competition, Germany is defending the world title after defeating Belgium in a dramatic final in Bhubaneswar, India, in 2023 following a better performance in the shootout. FIH states that this was Germany's third world championship title, once again placing the team among the historically most successful national sides in the sport. In Belgium and the Netherlands, Germany is in Pool B together with host nation Belgium, France and Malaysia, meaning that the opening phase already produced a group containing the two national teams that played in the previous World Cup final. Belgium, Olympic champion from Tokyo 2021 and world champion from 2018, is attempting to reclaim on home soil the title it lost in the 2023 final. The Netherlands, Australia, India, Argentina and other traditionally strong national teams further increase the competition in a tournament where it is difficult to single out just one favorite.
In the women's competition, the defending champion is the Netherlands, which won its ninth world championship title in 2022. That figure, also highlighted by FIH, demonstrates the level of historical dominance of the Dutch women's national team in world field hockey. This time, the Netherlands is playing part of the championship in front of its home crowd in Amstelveen and faces Australia, Chile and Japan in the initial pool. Belgium competes in Pool C with Spain, New Zealand and Ireland, while Pool B brings a strong European-Pan-American combination of Argentina, Germany, the United States and Scotland. Because of the new format, however, the importance of the first part of the tournament is not limited merely to avoiding elimination, but also involves creating the best possible starting position for the second group stage.
Para Hockey World Cup Enters the Global Stage for the First Time
The biggest novelty of the entire event begins on August 20, when the first FIH Para Hockey World Cup opens. According to FIH's official announcement of August 13, the competition runs until August 24 and features 16 national teams from four continents. Para Hockey in this format is intended for athletes with intellectual disabilities, the teams are mixed by gender, and matches are played six against six. FIH states that this form of hockey has been developing for more than 14 years and that the World Cup is the result of long-term efforts by athletes, coaches, national federations, families and volunteers to expand opportunities for competitors with intellectual disabilities. The introduction of a separate world title represents an important step because Para Hockey is moving from a developmental and demonstration framework into competition at the highest international level under the auspices of FIH.
Pool A of the Para Hockey World Cup includes Belgium, Italy, Germany, France, Pakistan, Zambia, Ireland and the United States. Pool B consists of the Netherlands, Spain, Bulgaria, England, India, Malaysia, Chile and Argentina. From August 20 to 23, matches will be played at Myra Hockey Club in Amstelveen and Louvain-la-Neuve Hockey Club in Belgium. The final day, August 24, moves to the two main stages of the major World Cup, Wagener Stadium and Belfius Hockey Arena. It is precisely this move to the stadiums where the best men's and women's national teams are competing at the same time that represents one of the strongest symbolic elements of the entire project, because Para Hockey does not remain isolated as a side program but receives a visible place within the same global event.
FIH President Tayyab Ikram described the first Para Hockey World Cup as a historic milestone for the sport and emphasized that the tournament should represent diversity, inclusion and opportunity for all. In its latest announcement, FIH stated that the competition is not intended merely as a battle for medals, but also as a way of changing perceptions about the capabilities of athletes with intellectual disabilities. In recent years, the federation has cooperated with the Special Olympics movement, and field hockey was a demonstration sport at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin in 2023. According to earlier FIH data, 12 countries participated in that tournament, while more than 30 national hockey federations reported that they had launched some form of Para Hockey program. The first World Cup is therefore also a test of how far that base can be transformed into a stable international competition with a regular calendar and a clear development pathway.
Belgium and the Netherlands Rely on Strong Hockey Infrastructure
The choice of Belgium and the Netherlands is no coincidence. In recent years, both countries have belonged to the very top of international field hockey, have well-developed national leagues, a large number of clubs and experience in organizing FIH and EuroHockey tournaments. The Netherlands has traditionally been one of the global centers of the sport, as confirmed by the results of its national teams, particularly the women's side, as well as by its frequent hosting of major competitions. Belgium has experienced a strong rise in results over the past decade, particularly in the men's competition, and before the 2026 World Cup had already organized European championships and FIH Hockey Pro League matches. The new arena in Wavre is expected to give that infrastructure a long-term national base for major international matches as well.
The geographical proximity of the two countries is also important for the organizers, even though the main venues are located in different cities and each location has its own schedule. The concept of joint hosting makes it possible to distribute a large number of matches, national teams, officials and supporters between two highly developed hockey environments. At the same time, for FIH it is a model through which three competitive levels can be connected within one event: elite men's hockey, elite women's hockey and Para Hockey. From an organizational perspective, this increases the complexity of the championship, but at the same time creates a rare concentration of national teams, coaching staffs, media and international sports institutions within a relatively small area. From August 15 to 30, Belgium and the Netherlands are therefore not merely hosts of two standard World Cups, but a platform on which FIH is attempting to demonstrate how it envisions the broader development of the sport.
More Than a Battle for Medals
The sporting result will remain the central criterion of success, and the final stages in Amstelveen and Wavre will determine the successors to the current champions or confirm their continued dominance. Nevertheless, the structure of the 2026 event gives the championship a broader significance than the usual cycle of competition for a trophy. The men's and women's competitions receive the same temporal and spatial stage, while the first Para Hockey World Cup is integrated into the same organizational framework and concludes at the same main stadiums. In this way, FIH is attempting to connect three messages that often exist separately in international sport: elite performance, equal visibility and the inclusion of athletes with intellectual disabilities. The success of that model will be measured both by the quality of the competition and by audience interest, but also by whether the first Para Hockey championship gains continuity after 2026.
For Belgium, hosting the event is at the same time an important confirmation of the status of a country that has moved from a rise in sporting results to a phase of major infrastructure and organizational projects. For the Netherlands, it represents a continuation of a long tradition of organizing the biggest hockey tournaments and another opportunity for Wagener Stadium to become a central stage of world sport. For the international federation, according to its official announcements, the event is intended as a demonstration of unity and the future direction of hockey. From the first match on August 15 to the men's final on August 30, the eyes of the hockey world will be focused on Amstelveen and Wavre, while the historic first Para Hockey world tournament will also take place between them. Three championships, two countries and shared final stages make the 2026 edition one of the most organizationally and symbolically ambitious projects in FIH history.
Sources:
- International Hockey Federation (FIH) - official FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 page, dates, locations, schedule and competition status (link)
- International Hockey Federation (FIH) - official draw and pool composition of the men's and women's 2026 World Cup (link)
- International Hockey Federation (FIH) - announcement of the first FIH Para Hockey World Cup, format, national teams and venues from August 20 to 24, 2026 (link)
- International Hockey Federation (FIH) - information on joint hosting, the new competition format and the historical context of the championship (link)
- Special Olympics - official information on the partnership with FIH and the field hockey demonstration tournament at the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 (link)