Teams Qualified for Hockey World Cup 2026: The Indian men’s hockey team registered a stunning win by defeating South Korea 4–1 in the final of the Asia Cup 2025 and has qualified for the Hockey World Cup 2026. This World Cup will be held jointly in Belgium and Netherlands next year.
So far, a total of 8 teams have qualified for this prestigious tournament, in which India’s name has also been included. This victory of the Indian team was not only to win the Asia Cup title, but also to ensure its place in the World Cup. However, India has won the World Cup title only once. India won the title at the World Cup played in Kuala Lumpur in 1975.
Apart from India, these countries also qualified
Apart from India, 7 more countries also qualified for the Hockey World Cup. Belgium and Netherlands have got a direct entry in the World Cup 2026 as host countries, as this tournament will be jointly held in these two countries. Australia won the FIH Pro League 2023-24 title to secure their place in the World Cup.
Spain qualified even after finishing third
Spain qualified by finishing third in the FIH Pro League 2024-25, as the teams, who lived at the first two places of that tournament, had qualified due to Belgium and Netherlands being a first host. Argentina won the PAN American Cup 2025 directly to win the World Cup ticket.
Germany reached the final of the Euro Hockey Championship 2025 and gained qualification, where it faced the Netherlands which had already qualified as a host. New Zealand won the Oceania Cup 2025 title to make it to the World Cup.
Teams qualifying for Hockey World Cup 2026
| Order | Country | Through whom qualified |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | By winning Asia Cup 2025 |
| 2 | Belgium | Host (co-host) |
| 3 | Netherlands | Host (co-host) |
| 4 | Australia | FIH Pro League 2023-24 by winning |
| 5 | Spain | Fih Pro League in third place in 2024-25 (Belgium and Netherlands were already qualified) |
| 6 | Argentina | PAN American Cup winning 2025 |
| 7 | Germany | Euro Hockey Championship 2025 reaching the final |
| 8 | New Zealand | Oshinia Cup 2025 winning |
Now only 8 teams have left space
A total of 8 teams have qualified for the Hockey World Cup 2026 so far, while a total of 16 teams have to participate in the tournament. This means that 8 places are empty right now. One of these remaining places will be available to the continental champion team of Africa, which will qualify through its Continental tournament. The remaining 7 teams will be selected through FIH Hockey World Cup qualifiers 2026. These qualifiers will participate in the tournaments from all over the world and will make it to the World Cup based on the performance.
