2026 Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands and in Belgium
It promises to be a great summer of sports! In addition to the Football World Cup, we are also gearing up for the Men's and Women's Hockey World Cup, which will take place from August 15 to 30, 2026, in Belgium and the Netherlands. In Belgium, the matches will be played in Waver, while in the Netherlands, the hockey players will travel to Amstelveen. These will be exciting weeks: both the Red Panthers (women's team, Belgium) and the Red Lions (men's team, Belgium) are performing well internationally. The Dutch men last won the world title in 1998 (1998, Utrecht), and the Dutch women last in 2022 (2022, Amstelveen / Terrassa). The world rankings remain exciting: it is therefore still anyone's guess what the top will look like after the Hockey World Cup and who will be able to call themselves the absolute number 1.
The Men's and Women's Hockey World Championships are organized under the auspices of the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The tournament takes place from 15 to 30 August 2026 in Waver (Belgium) and Amstelveen (the Netherlands). The women's tournament is organized simultaneously in the same host cities. It is the first time the World Cup is being held in Belgium and the fourth (men's tournament) to fifth (women's tournament) time it is being held in the Netherlands. Previous men's World Cups were held in the Netherlands in 1973, 1998, and 2014. The men's hockey team last became world champions in 1998.
The Netherlands issued hockey stamps in 1956 (Melbourne Olympiad), 1973 (Hockey World Cup and a women's national tournament in Amstelveen to mark the 75th anniversary of the Royal Dutch Hockey Federation (KNHB)), and 1998 (100 years of the KNHB). The images are from Delpher.nl: 1956 (final design), 1973 (sketches for the issue), and 1998 (alternative design). In 2022, a sheet from the series Typisch Nederlands (sports), women's hockey (FDC), was issued. The Women's Hockey World Cup was also organized in the Netherlands and Spain in 2022.
30 years of sponsorship of the hockey association by Rabobank
In 1998, the 100th anniversary of the KNHB was celebrated and a special stamp was issued. At the same time, the Dutch men became world champions in 1998 (for the last time). You can also see the definitive stamp for 100 years of the KNHB below.
In 1998, Rabobank also celebrated its 100th anniversary. A special stamp was issued for this jubilee as well. Personally, I do not find this design very successful as a Rabobank stamp. The bank's logo is missing, and letters are projected over photos, making the stamp look messy. See my earlier blog: https://www.freestampmagazine.nl/beeldtaal-rabobank-1898/
Why has Rabobank been a sponsor of the hockey federation for 30 years? According to Rabobank's management: Hockey connects people, and the partnership between the hockey federation and Rabobank has been an example of this for 30 years. Parallels can also be seen: high tension, performing under pressure, psychology, focus, inspiring and motivating. Issues that also occur in the bank's boardroom. Since 1998, when the World Cup was held in Utrecht—where Rabobank's headquarters are also located—the bank has been a sponsor. Another factor was that hockey grew from an elite sport into a broad family sport. The social aspect aligns with Rabobank's policy. That is why we are still a sponsor of the hockey federation after 30 years.
<strong> More info: </strong>
2026 Hockey World Cup, TeamNL: https://www.teamnl.org/toernooien/wk-hockey-2026
WK Hockey 2026: https://hockeyworldcup2026.nl/
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