FIH will stage a key June build-up to August’s tournament in Belgium and the Netherlands, featuring Nations Cup events in South Africa and New Zealand, a decisive Pro League block in Europe, Olympic qualification at stake and Watch.Hockey coverage.
Before international hockey settles in Wavre and Amstelveen to bring together the world’s best men’s and women’s national teams from 15-30 August, June will serve as a month of acceleration for the International Hockey Federation.
It will not yet be the main stage, but a prologue full of competition, ambition and signs of what is to come: teams seeking promotion, leading sides fine-tuning their preparations, and a season beginning to gather momentum on the road to the first combined World Cup featuring an equal number of men’s and women’s teams.
The first stop will be Cape Town, on South Africa’s southern coast, where hockey will once again have the feel of a major occasion with the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2025-26, scheduled from 11-20 June at Hartleyvale Stadium.
The men’s tournament will bring together nine national teams: South Africa, France, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Scotland and the United States, who will make their debut in the competition following Wales’ withdrawal.
The sporting reward explains much of its importance: the winner will strengthen their path towards possible promotion to the FIH Hockey Pro League, the annual circuit that brings together the leading national teams.
That objective makes the Nations Cup more than just another date on the calendar. It is a gateway to the elite, an opportunity for countries with international pedigree but outside the Pro League to measure their progress under real pressure, in a country where major events often find a vibrant response when the international stage comes calling again.
The opening day will hope to set the tone, with Malaysia facing Scotland, Korea taking on Japan, Ireland meeting the United States and South Africa hosting France at home.
With the men’s competition still under way in South Africa, the competitive map will also open towards Oceania. In Auckland, the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup New Zealand 2025-26 will take place from 15-21 June, with eight national teams and a home setting that will seek to give the tournament its own pulse.
India, Japan, the United States and Uruguay will make up Pool A, while Chile, France, Korea and New Zealand will form Pool B. Uruguay will make their debut in the women’s tournament following Scotland’s withdrawal, France will arrive boosted by their promotion from the Nations Cup 2 and India will look for a response after their relegation from the 2024-25 Pro League.
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