Women's FIH Hockey World Cup
Field hockey · International Hockey Federation (FIH)
Also called: the Women's Hockey World Cup
The Women's FIH Hockey World Cup is field hockey's world championship for women's national teams, first played at Mandelieu, France, in 1974 and first won by the Netherlands.
- Next
- 2030; host to be named by the FIH at the end of 2026
- Most titles
- Netherlands, 9
- India
- No title; best finish 4th (1974); 5th in 2026
- Cycle
- About every four years; 16 editions from 1974 to 2026
Editions
India on the podium
2026Runner-upWon3rdArgentinaScore: 1-1 (3-1 s.o.) · Runners-up: Netherlands · Hosts: Wavre, Belgium; Amstelveen, Netherlands
- Final (date, venue)
- 29 Aug 2026, Wagener Hockey Stadium, Amstelveen
- Third
- Belgium
- Fourth
- Australia
- Teams
- 16
2022WonRunner-up3rdNetherlandsScore: 3-1 · Runners-up: Argentina · Hosts: Terrassa, Spain; Amstelveen, Netherlands
- Final (date, venue)
- 17 Jul 2022, Estadi Olímpic de Terrassa
- Third
- Australia
- Fourth
- Germany
- Teams
- 16
2018WonRunner-up3rdNetherlandsScore: 6-0 · Runners-up: Ireland · Hosts: London, England
- Final (date, venue)
- 5 Aug 2018, Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre
- Third
- Spain
- Fourth
- Australia
- Teams
- 16
2014Won3rdRunner-upNetherlandsScore: 2-0 · Runners-up: Australia · Hosts: The Hague, Netherlands
- Final (date, venue)
- 14 Jun 2014
- Third
- Argentina
- Fourth
- United States
- Teams
- 12
2010Runner-upWon3rdArgentinaScore: 3-1 · Runners-up: Netherlands · Hosts: Rosario, Argentina
- Final (date, venue)
- 12 Sep 2010, Rosario
- Third
- England
- Fourth
- Germany
- Teams
- 12
2006Won3rdRunner-upNetherlandsScore: 3-1 · Runners-up: Australia · Hosts: Madrid, Spain
- Final (date, venue)
- 8 Oct 2006, Madrid
- Third
- Argentina
- Fourth
- Spain
- Teams
- 12
2002Runner-upWon3rdArgentinaScore: 1-1 (4-3 p.s.) · Runners-up: Netherlands · Hosts: Perth, Australia
- Final (date, venue)
- 8 Dec 2002, Perth
- Third
- China
- Fourth
- Australia
- Teams
- 16
1998Runner-upWon3rdAustraliaScore: 3-2 · Runners-up: Netherlands · Hosts: Utrecht, Netherlands
- Final (date, venue)
- 31 May 1998, Utrecht
- Third
- Germany
- Fourth
- Argentina
- Teams
- 12
1994Runner-upWon3rdAustraliaScore: 2-0 · Runners-up: Argentina · Hosts: Dublin, Ireland
- Final (date, venue)
- 24 Jul 1994, Dublin
- Third
- United States
- Fourth
- Germany
- Teams
- 12
1990WonRunner-up3rdNetherlandsScore: 3-1 · Runners-up: Australia · Hosts: Sydney, Australia
- Final (date, venue)
- 2 May 1990, Sydney
- Third
- South Korea
- Fourth
- England
- Teams
- 12
1986Won3rdRunner-upNetherlandsScore: 3-0 · Runners-up: West Germany · Hosts: Amstelveen, Netherlands
- Final (date, venue)
- 24 Aug 1986, Amstelveen
- Third
- Canada
- Fourth
- New Zealand
- Teams
- 12
1983Won3rdRunner-upNetherlandsScore: 4-2 · Runners-up: Canada · Hosts: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Final (date, venue)
- 23 Apr 1983, Kuala Lumpur
- Third
- Australia
- Fourth
- West Germany
- Teams
- 12
1981Runner-up3rdWonWest GermanyScore: 1-1 (3-1 p.s.) · Runners-up: Netherlands · Hosts: Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Final (date, venue)
- 27 Mar 1981, Buenos Aires
- Third
- Soviet Union
- Fourth
- Australia
- Teams
- 12
1978Won3rdRunner-upNetherlandsScore: 1-0 · Runners-up: West Germany · Hosts: Madrid, Spain
- Final (date, venue)
- 16 Sep 1978, Madrid
- Third
- Belgium
- Fourth
- Argentina
- Teams
- 10
19763rdRunner-upWonWest GermanyScore: 2-0 · Runners-up: Argentina · Hosts: West Berlin, West Germany
- Final (date, venue)
- 21 May 1976, West Berlin
- Third
- Netherlands
- Fourth
- Belgium
- Teams
- 11
1974WonRunner-up3rdNetherlandsScore: 1-0 · Runners-up: Argentina · Hosts: Mandelieu, France
- Final (date, venue)
- 24 Mar 1974, Mandelieu
- Third
- West Germany
- Fourth
- India
- Teams
- 10
The FIH stores times in Indian time: the 2022 final is listed at 01:00 on 18 July (IST), which is 17 July in Terrassa. West Germany and Germany are shown under the name of the time.
India at the World Cup
India have played 9 of the 16 editions. Best finish 4th in 1974, the first edition; 5th in 2026.
| Year | India's place | How it was settled |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 4th | Lost to West Germany 2-0 for third |
| 1978 | 7th (WP) | Last match 1-1 with Canada; stage not named in the FIH data |
| 1983 | 11th | Beat Wales 2-0 for eleventh |
| 1998 | 12th | Lost to China 4-2 for eleventh |
| 2006 | 11th (WP) | Last match beat South Africa 1-0; stage not named in the FIH data |
| 2010 | 9th | Beat South Africa 4-3 for ninth |
| 2018 | Quarter-finals (8th per WP) | 0-0 with Ireland, lost the shoot-out 3-1 |
| 2022 | 9th (shared) | Beat Japan 3-1 in the 9th to 12th classification |
| 2026 | 5th | Beat Germany 3-1 for fifth |
India did not take part in 1976, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1994, 2002 or 2014.
More about this tournament
Successful teams
| Team | Titles | Runners-up | Third | Fourth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 9 (1974, 1978, 1983, 1986, 1990, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022) | 5 (1981, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2026) | 1 (1976) | 0 |
| Argentina | 3 (2002, 2010, 2026) | 4 (1974, 1976, 1994, 2022) | 2 (2006, 2014) | 2 (1978, 1998) |
| Australia | 2 (1994, 1998) | 3 (1990, 2006, 2014) | 2 (1983, 2022) | 4 (1981, 2002, 2018, 2026) |
| West Germany | 2 (1976, 1981) | 2 (1978, 1986) | 1 (1974) | 1 (1983) |
| Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 (1998) | 3 (1994, 2010, 2022) |
| Belgium | 0 | 0 | 2 (1978, 2026) | 1 (1976) |
| Canada | 0 | 1 (1983) | 1 (1986) | 0 |
| Ireland | 0 | 1 (2018) | 0 | 0 |
| United States | 0 | 0 | 1 (1994) | 1 (2014) |
| England | 0 | 0 | 1 (2010) | 1 (1990) |
| Spain | 0 | 0 | 1 (2018) | 1 (2006) |
| Soviet Union | 0 | 0 | 1 (1981) | 0 |
| South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 (1990) | 0 |
| China | 0 | 0 | 1 (2002) | 0 |
| New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1986) |
| India | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1974) |
History
How it began
The first women's World Cup was held at Mandelieu, France, in 1974 with ten nations, India among them. The Netherlands beat Argentina in the final and West Germany came third. Women's hockey was then run by its own body, the IFWHA; the two bodies merged into the present FIH in 1982.
How the format changed
Every edition up to 2014 had two pools, then semi-finals and placing matches; the field was ten to twelve teams, sixteen in 2002. In 2018 and 2022 sixteen teams played in four pools, with crossover matches and quarter-finals. In 2026 a second group stage of four pools came before the semi-finals.
Champions by era
The Netherlands and West Germany won the first five (the Netherlands three, West Germany two), then the Netherlands won in 1986 and 1990. Australia won twice in a row (1994, 1998) and Argentina three times (2002, 2010, 2026). The Netherlands won three in a row from 2014 to 2022, for nine titles in all.
India's story
India finished fourth at the first World Cup in 1974 and did not return to the top four. They missed seven of the next fifteen editions, reached the quarter-finals in 2018 and finished fifth in 2026, beating Germany for fifth place.
Firsts and facts
- First edition: 1974, Mandelieu, France; first champions: the Netherlands.
- India played the first edition and finished fourth.
- Finals decided by penalty strokes: 1981 and 2002; by shoot-out: 2026.
- The Netherlands have nine titles, the most of any team, men's or women's.
- Ireland reached their first final in 2018.
Format by edition
| Year | Teams | Group stage | Knockout | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 to 1998 | 10 to 12 | Two pools | Semi-finals, final; placing matches | FIH-ED |
| 2002 | 16 | Two pools | Semi-finals, final; placing matches | FIH-ED |
| 2006 to 2014 | 12 | Two pools | Semi-finals, final; placing matches (2006 stage names not in the FIH data) | FIH-ED |
| 2018, 2022 | 16 | Four pools of four | Crossovers, quarter-finals, semi-finals, final | FIH-ED |
| 2026 | 16 | Four pools of four, then a second stage of four pools | Semi-finals, final; placing matches | FIH-ED |
Links to the system pages: group stage and play-offs, single elimination, tie-breaks (shoot-outs).