The Hockey World Cup is the premier international field hockey competition, organized by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The men's tournament was first played in 1971 and the women's in 1974. Both are now held every four years, midway between the Summer Olympic Games.

The most recent edition was co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands in August 2026, with matches played in Wavre and Amstelveen. Germany retained the men's title, and Argentina won the women's title.

History

The FIH itself was founded in 1924 by the Frenchman Paul Léautey, with seven founding members: Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Spain and Switzerland.

The World Cup came much later. It was conceived by Pakistan's Air Marshal Nur Khan and put to the FIH by Patrick Rowley, the first editor of World Hockey magazine. The FIH approved the idea in October 1969 and formally adopted it in April 1970. The inaugural men's tournament was awarded to Pakistan, but political tension between Pakistan and India saw it moved to Barcelona, Spain, where it was played in 1971.

The women's game was governed separately for many years by the International Federation of Women's Hockey Associations (IFWHA), founded in 1927. The IFWHA ran the first Women's Hockey World Cup in 1974 at Mandelieu, France. The IFWHA merged with the FIH in 1982, and since 1986 the women's World Cup has been staged on the same four-year cycle as the men's.

Format

The competition consists of a qualification stage and a final tournament. Sixteen teams contest the finals. Places go to the host nation or nations, the champions of each of the five continental federations, the leading teams from the FIH Pro League, and the winners of continental qualifying tournaments.

At the final tournament the 16 teams are drawn into four pools of four, seeded on the current world rankings, and each team plays the other three in its pool. The top two from each pool move into a second round of crossover pools that decides the four semi-finalists. The teams finishing third and fourth in each pool go into classification matches for places 9 to 16.

The second round is followed by the semi-finals, a bronze medal match between the beaten semi-finalists, and the final.

Men's FIH Hockey World Cup Winners

  • 1971: Pakistan
  • 1973: Netherlands
  • 1975: India
  • 1978: Pakistan
  • 1982: Pakistan
  • 1986: Australia
  • 1990: Netherlands
  • 1994: Pakistan
  • 1998: Netherlands
  • 2002: Germany
  • 2006: Germany
  • 2010: Australia
  • 2014: Australia
  • 2018: Belgium
  • 2023: Germany
  • 2026: Germany

Six countries have won the men's World Cup. Germany and Pakistan lead with four titles each, ahead of the Netherlands and Australia on three each, with India and Belgium winning once each.

Women's FIH Hockey World Cup Winners

  • 1974: Netherlands
  • 1976: West Germany
  • 1978: Netherlands
  • 1981: West Germany
  • 1983: Netherlands
  • 1986: Netherlands
  • 1990: Netherlands
  • 1994: Australia
  • 1998: Australia
  • 2002: Argentina
  • 2006: Netherlands
  • 2010: Argentina
  • 2014: Netherlands
  • 2018: Netherlands
  • 2022: Netherlands
  • 2026: Argentina

The Netherlands dominate the women's event with nine titles, followed by Argentina with three, and Australia and West Germany with two each.

2026 World Cup

Belgium and the Netherlands co-hosted both tournaments in August 2026, the women's from 15 to 29 August and the men's from 15 to 30 August, with pool matches split between Wavre and Amstelveen.

Germany beat Spain 1–0 in the men's final to retain the trophy and claim a fourth title, drawing level with Pakistan at the top of the all-time list. Argentina took the bronze medal.

In the women's final, Argentina ended the Netherlands' run of three consecutive titles, winning 3–1 in a shootout after the match finished 1–1. It was Argentina's third world title. Belgium beat Australia 1–0 for the bronze medal.

Upcoming Tournaments

  • 2030 (men's and women's): hosts yet to be announced