In the women’s rankingsThe Netherlands (3809), who started the year in first place, maintained their stranglehold throughout the year, with another great season that saw them add more trophies to their cabinet with championship runs in the Pro League and EuroHockey Championships, while Argentina (3326), Belgium (3109) and China (2977) continue with great Continental Championship and Pro League campaigns in second, third and fourth respectively, where they started the year.
Spain (2777) are among the year’s biggest risers in the top 10 rankings, as they sit in fifth place after starting the year in eighth! Spain’s climb comes at the expense of Australia (2758), Germany (2734) and England (2510), who all fell one place from where they started the year, finishing in sixth, seventh and eighth.
New Zealand (2319), who won the Women’s FIH Hockey Nations Cup and the Oceania Cup in 2025, have climbed to ninth place above India (2315), who were relegated to the Pro League in 2025. Japan (2186) and the United States (2172) are two places higher in eleventh and twelfth, at the expense of Ireland (2030) and Chile (1999), which have fallen to thirteenth. fifteenth, with Scotland (2015) in fourteenth place. Korea (1864) remains in 16th place, followed by France (1742), whose FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2 victory saw them climb three places. Italy (1737), Uruguay (1736) and South Africa (1670) complete the top 20, with Canada (1668) and Malaysia (1667) just outside!
In the men’s rankingsThe Netherlands (3376) and Belgium (3225) continue to hold the top two, but there are plenty of shake-ups among them compared to the start of the year! Germany (3116) moves up one spot to third after a successful EuroHockey campaign, followed by Argentina (3022) who are in fourth place after starting the year in eighth place! Australia (3007) and Spain (2995) are each one spot higher in fifth and sixth, followed by England (2864) and India (2845) who saw the biggest falls, after starting the year in third and fifth respectively.
France (2371) remains in ninth place, while New Zealand (2254) and Ireland (2246) have swapped places since the start of the year. South Africa (2127) and Malaysia (2097) remain stable in twelfth and thirteenth place. After their promotion to the FIH Hockey Pro League, Pakistan (2034) is one place higher in fourteenth, followed by Wales (1989) and Korea (1981). Egypt (1956), which made a great debut at the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2, is a big player this year and finished in seventeenth place. Japan (1982), Canada (1863) and Scotland (1843) complete the top 20, while Austria (1805), Chile (1727), China (1723), Poland (1694) and the United States (1690) occupy the next five places.
To see the full FIH world rankings, including World Indoor and Junior RankingsPlease click here.
The ranking calculation model that FIH introduced on January 1, 2020 moved from the previous tournament-based ranking system to a dynamic, match-based method where opponents exchange points in official, FIH-sanctioned matches. The number of points exchanged depends on the result of the match, the relative ranking of the teams and the importance of the match. More information about the new ranking model can be found below.
How the FIH World Rankings work:
The number of points exchanged depends on the result of the match, the relative ranking of the teams and the importance of the match.
FIH World Rankings Explained:
- Based on the Elo rating system, which is used as the basis for many other sports ranking systems
- When two countries play against each other, a number of ranking points are exchanged between them
- In each match, the number of points gained by one team exactly corresponds to the number of points lost by the other team
- Teams win more points when they beat teams above them, and therefore teams lose more points when they lose to a team ranked lower.
- Teams win fewer points when they beat teams below them, and therefore teams lose fewer points when they lose to a team above them.
- If there is a tie, the lower ranked team receives a small number of points and the higher ranked team loses the same number of points.
- The number of points exchanged depends on the outcome of the match (win, loss, win/loss in the shootout or draw), the importance of the match (e.g. part of a major tournament or a test series) and the relative difference in ranking points between the teams before the match.
More details about the formula used in the algorithm, similarity weightings and other factors can be found HERE along with a frequently asked questions document HERE.
Source: FIH.hockey
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