The 2025-26 FIH Hockey Pro League burst into life with electrifying action across Dublin (Ireland) and Santiago del Estero (Argentina) stages as the seventh season of “The League of the Best” unfolded in early December.
Dublin: Early Statements and Historic Moments
The opening days in Ireland delivered powerful displays from some of the sport’s elite sides. Belgium men’s and women’s sides set the tone early, with both nations sweeping their opening fixtures in dominant fashion, as Belgium men overcame Germany 4-1 and the women accounted for England in a 3-0 win. Standout individual achievements punctuated the opening stage, including Charlotte Englebert and Elena Sotgiu reaching 100 caps for Belgium, Christopher Ruhr and Victor Wegnez getting capped 200 times by Germany and Belgium, with Alix Gerniers achieving an 300th cap for Belgium to top it all!
As the Dublin stage progressed, momentum swung constantly through tightly contested fixtures. Germany’s men found form with a convincing 4-1 win over England, and Belgium’s women held firm against debutants Ireland, and England to win all four of their matches to make a perfect start. Ireland in particular showcased grit in front of a passionate home crowd, pushing higher-ranked sides and celebrating defensive milestones amid spirited performances, notably not losing any of their matches by more than a solitary goal. England women started off with three losses, one coming in a shoot-out, but finished strong by defeating Ireland in their final match of the Dublin stage.
England and Germany men split a win each in their head-to-head matches. Belgium men nearly had a perfect opener with two wins over Germany and another one over England, their only blip was a 2-2 draw with England which followed a loss in the shootout. Ireland’s women also claimed their first ever Pro League points in a thrilling 1-1 draw with England, sealed by a 4-3 shootout victory, to cap off a very positive start to their debut season in the FIH Hockey Pro League.
Santiago del Estero: Home Magic and Clinical Finishes
Meanwhile in Argentina, hosts captivated local crowds with memorable performances. The Leones were particularly stellar winning three of their four matches, with one come-from-behind draw against Netherlands, which was followed by a decisive 4-2 shootout win, thrilling the home crowd. The Leonas also excelled, securing two wins over Germany, one outright and another through a shoot-out.
The home crowd also roared in celebration as Sofía Toccalino and Julieta Jankunas completed 200 caps for the Leonas. Their solitary loss came against Netherlands. A second match between the two would have given the home side an avenue to avenge the loss, but the match was cancelled due to severe weather conditions.
Debutant Pakistan produced plenty of positives in their opening four matches, bringing their traditional end-to-end style of hockey. While they came away from the Argentina stage without registering any points, they did build solid foundations of what will be a long season, especially on the attacking side, where they averaged 2 goals per game in the opening stage. The story was similar for the German women’s side, who registered one point from their four games, but they ran their higher ranked opponents close in all four matches and will have plenty of positives to carry forward into the season.
The Dutch women’s side continued to roll along smoothly winning all three of their matches, with a particularly impressive 4-0 win over rivals Argentina. They also celebrated ace drag flicker Yibbi Jansen achieving 100 career caps for the national side! Meanwhile the Dutch men aced both their games against Pakistan, with Terrance Pieters achieving his 100th cap in one of the wins, but two losses to Argentina, one in regulation and another in the shoot-outs, saw their hopes of retaining the FIH Hockey Pro League title take a slight hit early in the season.
Season 7 Points Table Snapshot
After the opening rounds across both venues, the early standings reflect tight competition at the top:
Men’s Standings Highlights
Argentina lead the men’s table with 11 points, with Belgium following closely behind with 10 points. Netherlands sit third with 7, followed by England and Germany on 5 and 3 points respectively, with Pakistan yet to open their account early into the season.
Women’s Standings (Early Indicators)
Belgium with four wins in four matches have made their best start with 12 points. Netherlands continue to dominate, winning all three of their matches to take second place with 9 points. Argentina sit in third place with 5 points from their three games, followed by England on four points, Ireland on two and Germany on one point.
To see the current standings click here.
Looking Ahead: Next Stages and Fixture Blocks
Season 7 will resume on 5 February in China and Spain with China, England, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Germany (women), along with Spain, England, Netherlands (men) taking the field. Following closely after will be stages in Australia and India with many more teams in action. To see the complete schedule click here.
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