The Netherlands men’s and women’s teams upheld their dominance, securing trophies and titles that kept their competitors at bay as the FIH World Rankings saw significant changes in a pivotal year leading up to the 2026 World Cups.
International hockey in 2025 featured a relentless schedule of high-profile events—from the FIH Hockey Pro League to Nations Cup drama and Continental Championships across all continents—which spurred remarkable shifts in the World Rankings, as reported by the sport’s global governing body on its official website.
As the year comes to a close, established powers in both the men’s and women’s games reinforced their standings while emerging teams made notable progress.
Women’s Rankings Insights
In the women’s rankings, the Netherlands (3809), who began the year in first place, maintained their stronghold throughout the season, adding more trophies to their collection with championship victories at the Pro League and the EuroHockey Championships. Argentina (3326), Belgium (3109), and China (2977) kept their second, third, and fourth positions respectively, buoyed by impressive performances in the continental championships and Pro League, according to the FIH report.
Spain (2777) emerged as one of the year’s biggest gainers within the top-10 rankings, inching up to fifth place from eighth at the start of the year. Their rise came at the expense of Australia (2758), Germany (2734), and England (2510), all of whom dropped one position to finish sixth, seventh, and eighth respectively.
New Zealand (2319), champions of the Women’s FIH Hockey Nations Cup and the Oceania Cup in 2025, climbed to ninth place, surpassing India (2315), who faced relegation from the Pro League this year. Japan (2186) and the United States (2172) gained two places each, reaching eleventh and twelfth, while Ireland (2030) and Chile (1999) fell to thirteenth and fifteenth respectively, with Scotland (2015) sitting in fourteenth.
Korea (1864) remained at sixteenth, trailed by France (1742), whose success at the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2 allowed them to rise three spots. Italy (1737), Uruguay (1736), and South Africa (1670) rounded out the top-20, with Canada (1668) and Malaysia (1667) just outside.
Men’s Rankings Overview
In the men’s rankings, the Netherlands (3376) and Belgium (3225) sustained their positions at the top, while several teams below them experienced tumultuous shifts compared to the start of the year. Germany (3116) climbed one spot to third after a successful EuroHockey campaign, followed by Argentina (3022), which ascended to fourth from eighth at the beginning of the year. Australia (3007) and Spain (2995) also moved up one position each to fifth and sixth, while England (2864) and India (2845) saw the largest drops, having started the year in third and fifth respectively.
France (2371) remained in ninth, while New Zealand (2254) and Ireland (2246) swapped their standings since the year began. South Africa (2127) and Malaysia (2097) maintained their positions in twelfth and thirteenth.
After their promotion to the FIH Hockey Pro League, Pakistan (2034) moved up to fourteenth, followed by Wales (1989) and Korea (1981). Egypt (1956), having had a remarkable debut at the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2, made significant gains, landing in seventeenth. Japan (1982), Canada (1863), and Scotland (1843) completed the top-20, with Austria (1805), Chile (1727), China (1723), Poland (1694), and the United States (1690) following closely behind.
Ranking Calculation Model
The rankings calculation model introduced by FIH on January 1, 2020, shifted from the previous tournament-based system to a dynamic, match-based method where teams exchange points in official, FIH-sanctioned games. The points exchanged depend on the match result, the relative ranking of the teams, and the match’s significance.
Using the Elo rating system as its foundation, when teams compete, ranking points are exchanged, with the points gained by one team equaling the points lost by the other. Teams earn more points for defeating higher-ranked teams and consequently lose more points when losing to lower-ranked teams, and vice versa.
Final Year-end Rankings:
Men (top 10)
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Germany
- Argentina
- Australia
- Spain
- England
- India
- France
- New Zealand
Women (top 10)
- Netherlands
- Argentina
- Belgium
- China
- Spain
- Australia
- Germany
- England
- New Zealand
- India