AHF: Argentina men secure FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 qualification

The men’s Pan American Cup 2025 came to an end today with Argentina defeating USA in the men’s final to win the gold medal and secure qualification to the upcoming FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026!

With one direct qualification spot available to the Americas at the upcoming World Cup, the winner of the final was assured qualification to the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026 and with Argentina securing a 10-0 win over USA in the final, they become the fifth team to book their place in hockey’s premier world event next year.

Argentina, placed in Pool A went unbeaten through the tournament, winning all three of their pool stage matches, followed by wins in the semi-final and the final. They started off their campaign in perfect fashion winning 13-0 against Brazil and followed that up with a clinical 3-0 win over USA who they would face in the final once again. A 12-0 win in the final pool match against hosts Uruguay secured the top spot in Pool A for Argentina sending them through to the semi-final.

Argentina were paired up against Canada in the semi-final, who finished second in Pool B behind Chile. Argentina once again showed their continental supremacy dispatching Canada in a 9-1 win, despite Canada scoring the first goal of the game. Tomas Domene with 4 goals and Nicolas della Torre with 3 goals starred in the semi-final, taking Argentina one step closer to world cup qualification.

The Leones were relentless on attack in the final and put the American defence to sword, winning the contest with a massive 10-0 scoreline. Tomas Domene, Tadeo Marucci and Bautista Capurro scored a brace each, with Nicolas della Torre, Lucas Toscani, Lucas Martinez and Lucio Mendez also getting on the scoresheet. The win gives Argentina their fourth consecutive, and fifth overall title in the Pan American Cup, and punches their ticket to the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026.

Tournament top scorer Tomas Domene, who also made his 100th appearance for Argentina, said: “I am very happy, beyond anything else, to play and represent Argentina 100 times. I think that I am very emotional today, with the team having qualified for the World Cup, which was our objective from the start of the tournament. I think we had a great tournament, from start to finish, we showed who we are. We tried to give our best in every match, and I think that showed, and this result reflects that.”

Argentina have become the fifth team to secure qualification to the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026. Belgium and Netherlands, on account of being hosts of the event, secured direct qualification. At the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24, it was Australia who qualified for the World Cup as champions of the season. Spain were the fourth team to secure their spot, finishing second behind already qualified Netherlands in the 2024/25 season of the Pro League. Continental championships in Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania over the coming months will determine four more direct qualifiers for the event, with the remaining seven teams qualifying through the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers in 2026.

Source: FIH.hockey