The global race to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games has its first confirmed men's qualifier in the Belgian Red Lions, alongside hosts USA! Following a stellar, high-stakes victory tonight over the Netherlands, the Belgian men’s hockey team — The Red Lions — have wrapped up the FIH Hockey Pro League 2025-26 title with one match to go. This marks their second time taking the top step on the podium, and their first since 2021.

The FIH Hockey Pro League women’s relegation battle is set for a tense finish after Ireland’s 3-1 loss to Germany on Friday left them tied on points with England at the bottom of the table, with England still holding a game in hand. Australia’s women also didn’t do themselves any favours after being beaten 2-1 by Belgium. In the other women’s match of the day, Argentina turned the tables on Spain, beating them 2-0 to climb above the Belgians into second spot on the log. Meanwhile, in the men’s tournament, another thrilling encounter saw India getting the better of arch-rivals Pakistan 7-1. And there were also goals galore in the showdown between Spain and Argentina, which the South Americans edged in a shootout after a 4-4 draw before the Netherlands made the most of their chances to beat Australia 6-3.

Belgium’s men missed the chance to clinch the FIH Hockey Pro League title on Thursday after suffering their first regulation-time defeat of the season. The 2-1 defeat at the hands of Australia means they can still be caught at the top of the table, as England kept their hopes alive with a shootout win over India. The other men’s result of the day saw Germany’s men edging Spain in a shootout, and the German women had plenty to celebrate after their 2-1 win over China ensured their safety from the relegation zone. In the other women’s matches, England claimed an important extra point with a shootout win over Argentina, while the already-confirmed champions, the Netherlands, secured an emphatic 4-1 win over Belgium.