Lausanne (Switzerland), Dec 11 (NationPress) - The men's and women's qualifiers for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 will take place in Hyderabad (India), Santiago (Chile), and Ismalia (Egypt), as officially announced by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Thursday.

Santiago will host both the men's and women's competitions, while Hyderabad is set to welcome only the women's event, and Ismalia will be the venue for the men's qualifiers. The matches are scheduled for February and March of next year.

This qualifying round is crucial for teams aiming to secure a spot in the FIH Hockey World Cup, which is set to be co-hosted by Belgium and The Netherlands from August 15 to 30, 2026.

A total of seven teams per gender will qualify through these events, which are anticipated to be highlights on the FIH calendar. The teams that finish in the top three of each tournament will earn their spots, while the highest-ranked team among those finishing fourth will also qualify, as per the FIH's release.

In Hyderabad, the women's teams will include England, Scotland, South Korea, Italy, Uruguay, Wales, and Austria, along with the host nation India, competing from March 8 to 14, 2026.

Meanwhile, Santiago will host teams from Australia, Japan, Ireland, Chile, France, Canada, Malaysia, and Switzerland in the women's qualifiers. The men's qualifiers will feature teams from France, Ireland, Korea, Wales, Scotland, Canada, Poland, and Chile. Both events will take place from February 28 to March 8, 2026.

Ismailia will see the participation of men's teams from England, Malaysia, Pakistan, Egypt, Japan, Austria, China, and the USA from March 1 to 7, 2026.

The teams that qualify will join a strong lineup of 18 teams (9 per gender) that have already secured their places through the FIH Hockey Pro League, Continental Championships, or as hosts.

In the men's category, Belgium and The Netherlands have qualified as co-hosts, while Argentina, Germany, India, New Zealand, and South Africa qualified through the Continental Championships, and Australia and Spain achieved qualification through the FIH Pro League.

For the women's competition, Belgium and The Netherlands are qualified as joint hosts, while the USA, Spain, New Zealand, China, and South Africa qualified via their respective Continental Championships, and Germany and Argentina secured their spots through the FIH Pro League.