The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to announce the participating teams and the Pools of the first-ever FIH Para Hockey World Cup, which will take place from 20 to 24 August 2026 in Belgium and the Netherlands, as follows:
Pool A (playing in Belgium)
- Belgium
- Italy
- Germany
- France
- Pakistan
- Zambia
- Paraguay
- United States
Pool B (playing in the Netherlands)
- Netherlands
- Spain
- Bulgaria
- England
- India
- Malaysia
- Chile
- Argentina
The full match schedule is available here.
The FIH Para Hockey World Cup 2026 will be a 6-a-side tournament. It will be played at HC Myra in Amstelveen, Netherlands, and Louvain-La-Neuve HC, in Belgium. However, the final day will be held in the same arenas as those hosting the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026, namely the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen and the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre.
FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “With today’s announcement of the participating teams—from all around the world—and the pools, our inaugural FIH Para Hockey World Cup is truly taking shape. I can only reiterate how happy and proud I am that, under my presidency, we have been able to launch this event, which will significantly contribute to the development of Para Hockey worldwide. This is clearly a major milestone in our ongoing efforts and determination to promote diversity and inclusion in hockey.”
Para Hockey for athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID) is a hockey format that was established 14 years ago. True to its values of diversity and inclusion applied in all its policies and activities, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has been supporting Para Hockey for many years. And the sport keeps growing! In the last survey organised by FIH to count the number of hockey participants worldwide, more than 30 National Associations indicated that they had launched Para Hockey in their country. As a further sign of inclusion, Para Hockey involves mixed gender teams.
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