VANTAGE BLACK STICKS WOMEN ARRIVE IN AMSTERDAM AHEAD OF WORLD CUP
The Vantage Black Sticks Women have officially arrived in Europe, with the squad touching down in Amsterdam to begin the final phase of preparations for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup.
After a 42-hour journey from New Zealand, the team has settled into its training base at HC AMVJ in Amsterdam, where they will spend the coming days preparing before relocating to Leuven, Belgium, for the pool stage of the tournament.
The training camp marks the final opportunity for the group to come together ahead of the World Cup, with a strong focus on technical and tactical preparation as the players continue building towards hockey's biggest stage.
The Vantage Black Sticks will also take on two of the world's leading hockey nations in practice matches before the tournament begins. The squad will first face reigning Olympic gold medallists and current world champions, the Netherlands, in Amsterdam before travelling to Belgium to take on Germany in their final hit-out ahead of their opening World Cup match.
The fixtures provide invaluable international preparation against two of the world's best sides as New Zealand fine-tunes its game ahead of the tournament.
Drawn in Pool C, the Vantage Black Sticks Women will face host nation Belgium, Ireland and Spain, with all pool matches to be played at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium.
Vantage Black Sticks Women's World Cup Schedule (NZT)
vs Belgium – 17 August, 3:30am
vs Ireland – 18 August, 9:00pm
vs Spain – 21 August, 12:00am
Fans can follow every match of the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup live on Watch.Hockey, the International Hockey Federation's official streaming platform.
The tournament is available at NZD $79.99 through the Watch.Hockey app on mobile and smart devices, or via the Watch.Hockey website, giving fans access to every match from Belgium and the Netherlands.
The 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup will be held from 15–30 August across Belgium and the Netherlands, with the world's leading hockey nations set to battle for one of the sport's most prestigious titles.