Leones' schedule set for 2026 World Cup

Argentina's men's field hockey team, Los Leones, is setting its sights on the 2026 World Cup, to be held in the Netherlands and Belgium. While not considered top favorites, the team enters the tournament with renewed hope under the guidance of a relatively new coaching staff led by Olympic champion Lucas Rey.

Their historical best performance at a World Cup came 12 years ago in The Hague, Netherlands, where they secured a bronze medal. This year, they will play their initial matches at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen. Los Leones will debut on August 16 against Japan, followed by a match against the host nation, one of the tournament's strong contenders, two days later. Their final group stage opponent on August 20 will be Scotland.

The team's roster includes experienced players like Maico Casella and Thomas Habif, who are also captains. Bautista Capurro is highlighted as a significant emerging talent. The squad also features Matías Andreotti, Nicolás Cicileo, Nicolás Della Torre, Tomás Domene, Martín Ferreiro, Thomas Habif, Nehuén Hernando, Ignacio Ibarra, Nicolás Keenan, Tadeo Marcucci, Lucas Martínez, Lucio Méndez Pin, Matías Rey, Tomás Ruiz, Tomás Santiago, Joaquín Toscani, Lucas Toscani, and Facundo Zarate. Tobías Martins, Iñaki Minadeo, Joaquín Ruiz, Facundo Sarto, and Santiago Tarazona are listed as reserves.

This year's World Cup features a revamped format. Teams finishing in the top two of their group will advance to the quarterfinals to compete for the title. Those finishing third or fourth will move to a separate bracket to play for ninth place and beyond. The team recently participated in a farewell event sponsored by a bank.