The Argentina men’s hockey team, known as Los Leones, is set to participate in their 15th FIH Hockey World Cup campaign. The team, currently ranked seventh globally, will compete in the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026, which begins on 15 August.
Los Leones qualified for the tournament by securing first place in the Pan American Cup 2025 held in Montevideo, Uruguay. During this competition, Argentina displayed strong form, scoring 47 goals and conceding only one across five consecutive victories.
Key Players and Achievements
Tomas Domene was a standout performer at the Pan American Cup 2025, earning both the Player of the Tournament and Top Scorer awards with 13 goals. His goal tally included seven from open play and six penalty corners. Domene is also the leading scorer in the 2025-26 FIH Hockey Pro League.
Other notable players in the squad include defender Nicolas Della Torre and goalkeeper Tomas Santiago. Both were shortlisted for the 2025 FIH Hockey Stars Awards, with Della Torre nominated for Player of the Year and Santiago for Goalkeeper of the Year. Della Torre contributed significantly to the Pan American Cup triumph, scoring 10 goals.
The team is captained by Matias Rey, a Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist. The 41-year-old defender-midfielder has made over 325 international appearances and is expected to play in his sixth FIH Hockey World Cup.
Argentina has a strong record in Pan American hockey, having won the continental championship 16 times. Their achievements include 11 Pan American Games titles and five Pan American Cup victories, with the most recent in 2025.
Recent Performance and Coaching
Prior to the upcoming World Cup, Los Leones achieved a mid-table finish in the FIH Hockey Pro League. Their performance included victories against the Netherlands, Pakistan (twice), and Australia. They also secured two away wins against India at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela. In one of these matches, Domene scored four goals in an 8-0 victory, while Tadeo Marcucci scored twice in a 4-2 win in the second encounter.
The team is coached by Lucas Rey, who is the elder brother of captain Matias Rey and also a member of Argentina’s Rio 2016 Olympic gold medal-winning squad. In his first year as head coach, Lucas Rey guided the team to a sixth-place finish in the Pro League before leading them to the Pan American Cup title and subsequent World Cup qualification.
Lucas Rey stated, “We are very happy. We believe we had a strong preparation phase after the Pro League concluded, training every day back in Argentina. We always aim to develop the technical, tactical, physical, and emotional sides of the game. We integrate these aspects closely and work on the fine details that we believe will give us an edge over our opponents. And here is the final product. Now, it’s time to bring that to the pitch.”
Tournament Format
The FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 will feature a new competition format, with 16 teams in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. These teams will be divided into four pools for the opening phase, which runs from 15–20 August.
Following the initial pool stage, teams will be re-grouped into four new pools for the crossover phase, scheduled from 21–24 August. The top two teams from Pools E and F in this crossover phase will directly advance to the semi-finals, bypassing a quarter-final stage. The semi-finals are set for 27–28 August, with the men’s bronze medal match and final concluding on 30 August in Belgium.
The new format emphasizes strong performances in the pool stages, as results from the first phase carry forward into the crossover pools. This structure aims to provide a direct pathway to the semi-finals for top-performing teams.
Source: fih.hockey
