FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers 2026 – from teams to format, all you need to know about the tournament

The 2026 Hockey World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands between August 15-30, will have its final set of participants coming in from the FIH qualifiers.

While nine men’s and women’s teams have already qualified for the showpiece through the Pro League or via victories in continental championships, seven slots are yet to be filled.

READ: Team USA withdraws from FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 qualifiers amid Iran conflict

Eight countries in each of the men’s and women’s sections will be fighting for the said places in two qualifying tournaments—Santiago and Ismailia (men)/Hyderabad (women). The teams are split into groups of four based on their global rankings. While the top three teams in each section automatically qualify, the highest-ranked fourth-placed team also gets to climb aboard the bus.

The Indian women’s team will have home advantage, as the country will be hosting one of the eight-team events in Hyderabad from March 8 to 14.

GROUPINGS

Santiago, Chile (March 1-8)

Women’s Pool A: Australia, Chile, France, Switzerland

Women’s Pool B: Japan, Ireland, Canada, Malaysia

Men’s Pool A: Chile, France, Wales, Scotland

Men’s Pool B: Canada, Ireland, Korea, Poland

Ismailia, Egypt (March 1-7)

Men’s Pool A: Egypt, England, Japan, USA* (has withdrawn amid Iran conflict)

Men’s Pool B: Austria, China, Malaysia, Pakistan

Hyderabad, India (March 8-14)

Women’s Pool A: Austria, England, Italy, Korea

Women’s Pool B: India, Scotland, Uruguay, Wales

SCHEDULE

Here’s a schedule of the final leg of the tournament in Hyderabad:

Published on Mar 05, 2026