FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026 qualifiers teams and pools

HYDERABAD: The Austria women’s hockey team arrived in Hyderabad ahead of the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, which begin on March 8 at the Gachibowli Hockey Complex.

Eight nations will compete in the tournament for three qualification spots for the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in Belgium and the Netherlands in August.

Austria have a notable history in the tournament. The team featured in three of the first four editions of the Women’s World Cup but has not qualified for the event since 1981. as reported by TT.

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Austria placed in Pool A with England, Italy, Korea

Led by captain Johanna Czech, Austria will compete in Pool A alongside England, Italy and Korea.

The team will aim to secure a qualification berth and return to the World Cup after a gap of 45 years.

Team excited for first visit to India

Speaking ahead of the tournament, Czech said the squad was eager to compete despite limited preparation time.

“This is the first time in India for all of us. So, we are excited and we want to play really good hockey,” she said.

“Our preparation ahead of the tournament was short we had only one training session but we’re going to give our best. We’ve got some training sessions here before our games, and we’re going to leave everything on the pitch,” she added.