*This story was originally published by USA Field Hockey*
Twenty athletes. One crest. Today, U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach David Passmore named the roster that will compete at the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup.
“We are super excited to appear in our first World Cup since 2018," commented Passmore. "The squad is an exciting blend of youth and experienced, combined with pace and flair. The group we have drawn is very challenging with three strong opponents, but we demonstrated at Nations Cup that we can play an attacking fast paced brand of hockey. We will be working hard in the final weeks of preparation to enhance our set pieces to peak at the right time and have a super committed broader USWNT squad athletes in Charlotte who are pushing the selected athletes hard while helping us prepare for the tournament.”
This well-rounded roster features a mix of experience, coupled with athletes who recently made their mark on the international stage. The only athlete to return from the 2018 FIH Hockey World Cup roster is Ashley Hoffman (136) (Mohnton, Pa.), who is also the most capped of the 2026 selections. Joining her on the backline are goalkeepers Kelsey Bing (101) (Houston, Texas) and Jenny Rizzo (30) (Hershey, Pa.), and defenders Leah Crouse (72) (Virginia Beach, Va.), Claire Danahy (15) (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Bethany Dykema (7) (Newport News, Va.). Through the midfield are co-captains Emma DeBerdine (69) (Millersville, Pa.) and Meredith Sholder (77) (Fleetwood, Pa.), along with Lucy Adams (23) (Andover, Mass.), Katie Dixon (20) (Cary, N.C.), Mia Schoenbeck (16) (LaGrange, Ky.), Lauren Wadas (14) (Annville, Pa.) and Maddie Zimmer (80) (Hershey, Pa.). The talented forward line includes Sanne Caarls (67) (Nieuw-Vennep, Netherlands), Reese D’Ariano (17) (West Chester, Pa.), Phia Gladieux (32) (Oley, Pa.), Ryleigh Heck (13) (Ocean City, N.J.), Ashley Sessa (62) (Schwenksville, Pa.), Abby Tamer (50) (Dexter, Mich.) and Beth Yeager (73) (Greenwich, Conn.).
The non/traveling reserves are Dani Mendez (3) (Baltimore, Md.), Annabel Skubisz (1) (Houston, Texas), and Caroline Ramsey (12) (Morristown, N.J.).
Passmore is assisted by Maddie Hinch and Bert Remmerswaal, along with team manager Nazia Rashid, performance analyst and coach Alan Good, athletic trainer Hannah Jaussen, and high performance director Craig Parnham.
After missing out on the last edition of the FIH Hockey World Cup, the program is looking to rejoin the international stage with renewed confidence. The squad is coming off winning gold at the 3 Nations Tournament in January and a bronze at the recent FIH Hockey Nations Cup in June.
2026 USA World Cup Schedule
Date | Time ET | Game |
|---|---|---|
Sat., Aug. 15 | 11:30 AM | Argentina vs. USA |
Mon., Aug. 17 | 5:00 AM | USA vs. Scotland |
Wed., Aug. 19 | 8:00 AM | USA vs. Germany |
Fri., Aug. 21 - | New Pool Play | |
Thurs., Aug. 27 | Placement & Semifinals | |
Sat., Aug. 29 | Finals | |
The No. 12 USA will play their pool matches at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium. Pool B consists of No. 2 Argentina, No. 6 Germany and No. 14 Scotland. They open competition against Pan American rival, Argentina, on Saturday, August 15 at 11:30 a.m. ET. They will continue against Scotland on Monday, August 17 at 5:00 a.m. ET, before taking on Germany on Wednesday, August 19 at 8:00 a.m. ET. The top two teams in each Pool will advance to the Second Stage, where each country plays two more matches in a new Pool. The two best teams from the new two Pools advance to the semifinals. The third and fourth-placed teams will play placement matches for 5th to 8th place. The teams that finish third and fourth in the Pool Stage will also form new Pools and compete for the 9th to 16th placements.
The USA qualified for the FIH Hockey World Cup after a second-place finish at the Pan American Cup in July 2025, where they fell to Argentina in the final. Since Argentina already secured a spot at the FIH Hockey World Cup through their second-place finish in the 2024-25 FIH Hockey Pro League, USA were granted qualification through the continental quota.
For more information on the FIH Hockey World Cup, visit the event page.
