Hockey World Cup Winners List (1971-2023)
The men’s hockey World Cup was the first one to start with the inaugural edition held in Barcelona, Spain, in 1971. Incidentally, the 1971 event was originally slated to be held in Pakistan but was later shifted to Spain because of political conflict in Asia at that point of time. Pakistan emerged as the first men’s hockey World Cup winners after beating Spain in the final of the 10-team tournament. Pakistan are also the most successful nation in the men’s hockey World Cup, winning four titles (1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994). The Netherlands, Australia and Germany have won three World Cups each.
India beat Pakistan 2-1 in the 1975 final with Ashok Kumar, the son of Indian hockey wizard Dhyan Chand, scoring the winning goal.
Germany are the reigning men’s FIH World Cup champions, having clinched the 2023 edition held in Odisha, India.
Pakistan are also the most successful nation in the men’s hockey World Cup, winning four titles (1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994). The Netherlands, Australia and Germany have won three World Cups each.
| Edition (hosts) | Winner | Runners up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 (Spain) | Pakistan | Spain | India |
| 1973 (Netherlands) | Netherlands | India | West Germany |
| 1975 (Malaysia) | India | Pakistan | West Germany |
| 1978 (Argentina) | Pakistan | Netherlands | Australia |
| 1982 (India) | Pakistan | West Germany | Australia |
| 1986 (England) | Australia | England | West Germany |
| 1990 (Pakistan) | Netherlands | Pakistan | Australia |
| 1994 (Australia) | Pakistan | Netherlands | Australia |
| 1998 (Netherlands) | Netherlands | Spain | Germany |
| 2002 (Malaysia) | Germany | Australia | Netherlands |
| 2006 (Germany) | Germany | Australia | Spain |
| 2010 (India) | Australia | Germany | Netherlands |
| 2014 (Netherlands) | Australia | Netherlands | Argentina |
| 2018 (India) | Belgium | Netherlands | Australia |
| 2023 (India) | Germany | Belgium | Netherlands |
The Netherlands have dominated the women’s hockey World Cup and are the most successful team in the competition with nine titles (1974, 1978, 1983, 1986, 1990, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022). They are also the reigning champions. India’s best-ever showing at the women’s hockey World Cup came in the inaugural edition in 1974, where they finished fourth. It remains their only semi-final appearance to date.
| Edition (hosts) | Winner | Runners up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 (France) | Netherlands | Argentina | West Germany |
| 1976 (West Germany) | West Germany | Argentina | Netherlands |
| 1978 (Spain) | Netherlands | West Germany | Belgium |
| 1981 (Argentina) | West Germany | The Netherlands | Soviet Union |
| 1983 (Malaysia) | Netherlands | Canada | Australia |
| 1986 (Netherlands) | Netherlands | West Germany | Canada |
| 1990 (Australia) | Netherlands | Australia | South Korea |
| 1994 (Ireland) | Australia | Argentina | United States |
| 1998 (Netherlands) | Australia | Netherlands | Germany |
| 2002 (Australia) | Argentina | Netherlands | China |
| 2006 (Spain) | Netherlands | Australia | Argentina |
| 2010 (Argentina) | Argentina | Netherlands | England |
| 2014 (England) | Netherlands | Australia | Argentina |
| 2018 (Netherlands) | Netherlands | Ireland | Spain |
| 2022 (Spain and Netherlands) | Netherlands | Argentina | Australia |
Germany are the reigning men’s FIH World Cup champions, having clinched the 2023 edition held in Odisha, India.
India have won the hockey World Cup just once. The men's team lifted the trophy in 1975.
India finished ninth at the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2023
India
The two FIH hockey World Cups will take place simultaneously in July or August 2026 in Amsterdam/Amstelveen in the Netherlands and Wavre in Belgium.
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