The FIH World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium begins on Saturday.
The quadrennial event will bring together the biggest stars in hockey and is expected to produce exhilarating goal-fests. The top-scorers from Paris Olympics, Pro League and various continental events will all be featuring in the two-week long tournament.
Here are five players who could impress at the FIH World Cup:
Tomas Domene – ARG
Tomas Domene ended as the highest goalscorer in the FIH Pro League 2025-26, scoring 21 goals, 14 of them from Penalty Corners. At the Paris Olympics in 2024, he scored three goals as Argentina crashed out in the quarterfinals, losing 3-2 to Germany.
Heading into the tournament in fine form, Domene will hope to carry the 2016 Olympic champion side deep into the tournament.
Jose Basterra – ESP
Jose Basterra has been a central part of Spain’s ascendancy in recent tournaments. He struck three times as Spain clinched the bronze medal at the European Hockey Championship in 2025, the nation’s first medal in six years. He scored another four goals at the Paris Olympics, where Spain finished fourth after losing to India in the bronze-medal match.
But Basterra’s output has been most impressive in the Pro League, where he accumulated nine goals, six of them from open play. Basterra makes Spain an attacking threat and could be the X-factor as the team tries to end its medal drought at the World Cup.
Tom Boon – BEL
Tom Boon was the FIH Player of the Year in 2025. At 36, he will head to the World Cup in charge of Belgium’s transition and eager for success after the nation drew a blank at the Paris Olympics and the European Championships. Boon has the tailwind of scoring 19 goals in the Pro League last season, coupled with the five goals he scored in the Euros.
Three years ago, at the 2023 World Cup, Boon scored eight goals as Belgium finished runner-up.
Zach Wallace – ENG
England captain Zach Wallace is one of the most prominent attacking midfielders in world hockey today. He won the England Player of the Year award in 2026 and pulls the strings for his team. Others like Nick Bandurak might have been the most prolific in front of goal for England recently, but Wallace continues to influence how the team fares from the midfield.
Harmanpreet Singh – IND
Nobody at this World Cup would want to bounce back more than Harmanpreet Singh, a three-time FIH Player of the Year. The Indian captain has endured a poor run over the past 12 months, which has directly contributed to his team’s dismal run in the Pro League.
After back-to-back bronze medals at the Olympics, Harmanpreet will have enough to draw inspiration from. But he needs to find his scoring form for India to succeed as a team. India finished ninth at the last World Cup and will be eager to go deep into the competition this time around.
Published on Aug 14, 2026
