As we count down to the highly anticipated FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026, we take a closer look at the competing men's and women's teams ready to battle for global supremacy. In this special preview series, we profile each nation's journey to the tournament, examining their road to qualification, historic achievements, key players to watch, and the tactical minds leading them into the ultimate hockey showcase. In today’s story we take a look at New Zealand women’s team, ranked #10 in the world.

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Having failed to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 – their first missed Olympiad since Atlanta 1996 – New Zealand's Black Sticks have earned a welcome return to hockey's top table.

They achieved it with a remarkable Oceania Cup 2025 victory in Darwin, Australia, winning the three-match series 2-1 to stun the home favourites and 2022 World Cup bronze medallists. With each side claiming one of the opening two matches, everything came down to the deciding fixture. Morgan Mathison put Australia ahead on the stroke of half-time, but a Jessie Anderson penalty corner seven minutes from full time forced a shoot-out for the lone World Cup berth. The Black Sticks held their nerve, with Grace O'Hanlon – later named FIH Goalkeeper of the Year for 2025 - denying Australia's Alice Arnott, while captain Olivia Shannon (2), Hannah Cotter, Riana Pho and Josephine Murray all converted their attempts to seal qualification.

New Zealand have also impressed in the last two FIH Hockey Nations Cup competitions. They claimed the 2024 title in Santiago thanks to shoot-out victories over hosts Chile in the semi-finals and Ireland in the final, with forward Holly Pearson named Player of the Tournament. They came close to defending their crown on home soil in Auckland, reaching the gold-medal match before suffering a 2-0 defeat against India.

The side is captained by lively attacker Olivia Shannon, while defender Liz Thompson is the squad's most experienced player with more than 230 international appearances.

Nickname: Black Sticks

How they qualified: 1st place – 2025 Oceania Cup, Darwin (AUS)
Notable honours: 5x Oceania Cup gold medallists (2007, 2009, 2011, 2019, 2025), Hockey World League silver medallists (2015), 8x Oceania Cup silver medallists (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2023), FIH Champions Trophy bronze medallists (2011), 2x FIH Champions Challenge gold medallists (2005, 2009), Commonwealth Games gold medallists (2018), Commonwealth Games silver medallists (2010), 3x Commonwealth Games bronze medallists (1998, 2006, 2014), 4th place at London 2012 & Rio 2016 Olympic Games, FIH Hockey Nations Cup gold medallists (2024-25), FIH Nations Cup silver medallists (2025-26)

Rank in previous WC editions: 1983 – 7th, 1986 – 4th, 1990 – 7th, 1998 – 6th, 2002 – 11th, 2010 – 7th, 2014 – 5th, 2018 – 11th, 2022 – 5th

Head coach: Phil Burrows. One of the greatest players in New Zealand hockey history – his 343 caps and 151 goals remain national records – Burrows was appointed head coach in December 2022 after spending six years in Australia as Hockey Victoria's High Performance Athlete and Coach Manager. Under his guidance, the Black Sticks won both the Oceania Cup and the FIH Hockey Nations Cup in 2025.

Quotes: Head Coach, Phil Burrows: “Opening against the host nation in Belgium is a great occasion and a real test straight away. Ireland and Spain are both strong sides, so it’s a quality pool. Being up against all European and Pro League teams presents a consistent, high-level challenge, which is exactly what you want at a World Cup.”

Captain, Olivia Shannon: “I know the squad is putting in a huge amount of work as we build towards the World Cup. Being drawn in a pool where we open against Belgium on their home turf adds an extra edge. It's a massive occasion and an exciting challenge to play in front of their crowd.”

One to watch: Grace O'Hanlon. Only the second New Zealand player to receive an FIH Best Player award following Stacey Michelsen's Rising Star honour in 2011, the 33-year-old goalkeeper had already established herself as one of the world's finest before being crowned FIH Goalkeeper of the Year in 2025. She was instrumental in New Zealand's FIH Hockey Nations Cup campaigns in 2025 and 2026, helping the Black Sticks secure gold and silver medals respectively.

FIH team / stats page: click here.

Website: click here

X: @BlackSticks Facebook: nzblacksticks Instagram: nzblacksticks

The FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 begins on 15 August, with both men’s and women’s teams in action on opening day across the Netherlands and Belgium. For more information on the competition including the competition format, pools and the complete match schedule, click here.