Nominees

The list of nominees was selected by a global panel of hockey experts, comprising primarily current national team coaches, alongside former international players and experienced TV commentators.

To make their choices, the experts were given access to data from all international matches played in 2026, covering the FIH Hockey Pro League, FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers, FIH Hockey Nations Cups and, of course, the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 in Belgium and the Netherlands

The voting process is now open*, giving hockey experts, international athletes (= the captains of each national women’s and men’s team), media, fans and fellow players the opportunity to recognise the stars who have made 2026 a year to remember. Deadline for voting: 30th September 2026, 23:59 CEST

*Only one vote per Award is accepted.

Categories

The FIH Hockey Stars Awards celebrate excellence across the international hockey community, with honours presented in the following categories:

• FIH Player of the Year – Women and Men
• FIH Goalkeeper of the Year – Women and Men
• FIH Coach of the Year – Women and Men**
• FIH Umpire of the Year – Women and Men***
• FIH Rising Star of the Year – Women and Men

** Not for public vote: The Hockey Experts, excluding current National Team Coaches, will decide the winners of the FIH Coach of the Year Awards.

*** Not for public vote: The FIH Umpiring Committee will decide the winners of the FIH Umpire of the Year Awards.

Voting process

• Start: 15th September 2026
• Closure: 30th September 2026

VOTING WEIGHT ALLOCATION (for FIH Player, Goalkeeper and Rising Star of the Year)

The allocation of weights for each voting group determines the final score for each nominee as follows:

• Hockey experts: 55%
• International Athletes (= the captains of each national women’s and men’s team): 15%
• Fans and other players: 15%
• Media: 15%