A Revamped World Cup Structure
The 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup will see a historic expansion, with 16 teams competing in each gender category, doubling the previous edition's field.
The competition is divided into three distinct stages: a Pool Stage, a Second Stage, and a Classification Stage, each designed to shape the final rankings.
During the Pool Stage, the 16 teams are split into four groups of four, where they play a round‑robin schedule.
The two highest‑placed sides from every pool move forward, while the two lowest‑ranked teams drop into the Classification Stage.
In the Second Stage, the eight qualifiers are reassigned into two new pools — E and F — hosted in the Netherlands for the women's event and in Belgium for the men's event.
Each team in these pools will face the two opponents from its new group, and the outcomes of the earlier encounter with the same rival remain part of the cumulative record.
The winners of Pools E and F advance directly to the semifinals, while the third‑ and fourth‑placed teams contest placement matches that determine positions five through eight.
Semifinals for both the men's and women's tournaments are scheduled in Wavre and Amsterdam, setting up the championship deciders.
The women's final will be played on Saturday, August 29, in Amsterdam, and the men's final follows on Sunday, August 30, in Wavre.
The Classification Stage introduces Pools G and H, again hosted by the Netherlands for the women and by Belgium for the men, where the remaining teams battle for rankings nine through sixteen.
This new format aims to increase competitive matches, provide more nations with meaningful knockout opportunities, and reshape the tournament's narrative over the coming months.