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 the Netherlands men’s team, ranked #2 in the world.

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Olympic champions and FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 co-hosts the Netherlands arrive at this tournament with both outstanding pedigree and a point to prove. After winning the 2024-25 FIH Hockey Pro League, the Oranje finished fourth in the 2025-26 edition, collecting 26 points from 16 matches with seven outright wins, five shoot-out defeats and four regulation losses. Despite missing out on the title, they remained one of the competition's most potent attacking teams, scoring 47 goals – second only to champions Belgium.

There were plenty of glimpses of the Oranje at their fluent best throughout the campaign. They claimed emphatic 5-2 and 7-3 victories over Pakistan in Santiago del Estero (ARG), while also recording impressive wins against Spain, India, Germany and Australia. Arguably their standout performance came in a thrilling 6-3 victory over the Kookaburras at Wavre's Belfius Hockey Stadium, one of the venues for the upcoming World Cup. It proved to be their only win there, however, as Australia won the opening meeting 2-0 before Belgium edged the Oranje in their two encounters. The Red Lions claimed a shoot-out victory following a 2-2 draw before Alexander Hendrickx and Tom Boon scored in a 2-1 win in the final match.

Duco Telgenkamp – who converted the decisive shoot-out in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 gold medal match – finished as the Netherlands' leading scorer in the 2025-26 Pro League with eight goals. Tijmen Reyenga added seven, while Thierry Brinkman, Jip Janssen and Pepijn van der Heijden each contributed five.

With the World Cup returning to Dutch soil, the Oranje will believe they have an excellent opportunity to lift the trophy for the first time since Stephan Veen and Teun de Nooijer brilliantly inspired them to glory at Utrecht 1998. Interestingly, that triumph also followed Olympic gold, arriving two years after their success at Atlanta 1996 and before they successfully defended the title at Sydney 2000.

Nickname: Oranje

How they qualified: Host nation
Notable honours: 3x Olympic gold medallists (1996, 2000, 2024), 3x FIH Men’s World Cup winners (1973, 1990, 1998), 3x FIH Hockey Pro League champions (2021-22, 2022-23, 2024-25), 8x FIH Champions Trophy winners (1981, 1982, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006), Hockey World League winners (2012-14 Edition), 7x European champions (1983, 1987, 2007, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2023).

Rank in previous WC editions: 1971 – 6th, 1973 – 1st, 1975 – 9th, 1978 – 2nd, 1982 – 4th, 1986 – 7th, 1990 – 1st, 1994 – 2nd, 1998 – 1st, 2002 – 3rd, 2006 – 7th, 2010 – 3rd, 2014 – 2nd, 2018 – 2nd, 2023 – 3rd

Head coach: Jeroen Delmee. Since taking charge in late 2021, the legendary Dutch defender and double Olympic gold medallist (1996, 2000) has overseen a sustained period of success. Alongside Olympic gold at Paris 2024, Delmee has guided the Oranje to three FIH Hockey Pro League titles, bronze at the 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup and a seventh EuroHockey Championship crown in 2023.

Quotes: Jeroen Delmée: “We can see everything taking shape around the Wagener Stadium, where we currently train. The stands, the Rabo Fanzone, and everything surrounding it: you can already see how spectacular it’s going to be. Of course, we’ve played major events in the Netherlands before, and public interest in the Pro League is always big here, but this time it’s all going to be even bigger. It feels like coming home again.”

Lars Balk: “What I’m looking forward to most is the Dutch fans. That’s the best part for me. The stands are always packed here. It doesn’t matter whether it’s India vs Germany or India vs the Netherlands, the stadium is always full. There are so many hockey fans here, and they always support us. That’s what I’m really excited about: playing in front of a sold-out stadium filled with Dutch supporters dressed in orange.”

One to watch: Thierry Brinkman. A dynamic creator and goalscorer, Thierry Brinkman became an Olympic champion at Paris 2024, following in the footsteps of his father, Jacques. Nominated for the FIH Men's Player of the Year award in each of the last four editions (2022-2025), Brinkman combines outstanding vision, work rate and finishing ability, making him one of the world's most influential attacking players.

FIH team / stats page: click here.

Website: www.knhb.nl

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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.