In addition to the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026, a historical milestone will happen at the same time and in the same host-countries: the first ever FIH ParaHockey World Cup!

Announcing the news at a press conference in Brussels recently, FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “I’m so happy that we’ve decided to create the first ever FIH ParaHockey World Cup, which will be played alongside the 2026 World Cup, also in Belgium and the Netherlands. This is a great milestone. For us, diversity and inclusion are key principles that we’re including in everything we do. ParaHockey is a steadily growing format in our sport globally, which we’re very proud of. I already invite all hockey fans to come and support ParaHockey athletes for this historic event, that will be repeated in the future as well.”

The 2026 FIH ParaHockey World Cup will be a 6-a-side tournament played at HC Myra in Amstelveen, Netherlands, and Louvain-La-Neuve HC, in Belgium, from 21 to 25 August 2026. The finals will be held in the same arenas as those hosting the FIH Hockey World Cup, namely the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen and the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre. The 16 participating teams will be announced soon.

ParaHockey for athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID) is a hockey format that has been 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 ParaHockey 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 ParaHockey in their country. As a further sign of inclusion, ParaHockey involves mixed gender teams.

In 2023, ParaHockey was introduced for the first time as a demonstration sport at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin, with 12 countries taking part.

By creating this World Cup now, FIH is giving ParaHockey an unprecedented impulse that shall boost its growth like never before. As a major illustration of that, this World Cup should pave the way for hockey to make its debut as a recognised sport of the Special Olympics World Summer Games, starting with the 2027 edition in the City of Santiago, Chile.

#ParaHockey

Source: FIH.hockey