Scotland men set to begin World Cup qualification journey

The Scotland Men’s National Hockey Team kick starts its FIH World Cup Qualification campaign on Sunday with a pool match against France in Santiago, Chile. The Blue Sticks are on a quest to become the first ever men’s team to qualify for the World Cup.

The Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers from 1–8 March 2026 are being held at the Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped, Estadio Nacional, Santiago.

With continental championships and FIH Hockey Pro League having already secured nine teams their spots, this event represents the final opportunity for the eight participating nations to earn their place at hockey’s flagship tournament later this year in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The tournament format splits the field into two pools of four teams, with the top two from each pool progressing to the semi-finals. The winners of both semi-finals — and the bronze medal match — will secure automatic qualification for the World Cup. Additionally, the highest world-ranked team finishing fourth across both men’s qualifier events — Santiago and Ismailia — will also qualify.

The men’s qualifiers in Santiago brings together a compelling mix of teams from around the globe:

Pool A: France, Scotland, Wales, Chile

Pool B: Ireland, Canada, Korea, Poland

Scotland arrive at the qualifiers in Santiago Chile with a squad that blends youth, form and growing experience on the international stage. Despite not having previously featured at a Men’s World Cup, the team has steadily built belief through recent campaigns.

Scotland recently enjoyed a win and a draw in a test series against Wales in Cardiff, providing an excellent warm up opportunity ahead of the qualification event. It builds on a successful 2025 where the Scots won the first ever FIH Nations Cup 2 in Oman.

Scotland’s fixtures

Scotland V France [01.03, 19.15]

Scotland V Chile [03.03, 23.15]

Scotland V Wales [04.03, 21.00]

LIVE STREAM

Watch the FIH World Cup Qualifiers live at Watch.Hockey

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