Hockey in Argentina
ARG
FIH Rankings
Passion as national sport: Argentine hockey in Buenos Aires
— CULTArgentine hockey is more deeply rooted in Argentina than in any other non-European, non-Asian country. The Confederación Argentina de Hockey (CAH) coordinates a national competition structure of which the Torneo Metropolitano in Buenos Aires forms the beating heart. Clubs like GEBA, Club Ciudad, Banco Provincia, Quilmes Athletic and Lomas Athletic act simultaneously as sports clubs, social hubs and talent factories - a model that sits closer to European club hockey than to most other South American hockey countries.
What sets Argentina apart culturally is the passion with which hockey is experienced. Las Leonas are household names in Buenos Aires; their matches draw prime-time television and the players move effortlessly between sport, advertising campaigns and national symbolism. The sport carries no amateur stamp here, but a status often reserved elsewhere only for football. This produces an emotional, expressive playing style that characterises South American hockey: tactical knowledge combined with individual flair and the willingness to seize decisive moments.
Under head coach Fernando Ferrara, in charge since late 2021 as Carlos Retegui's successor, the women's national team builds on a coaching lineage that took Las Leonas to two world titles: Sergio Vigil in 2002 and Retegui in 2010. The legacy of eight-time World Player of the Year Luciana Aymar remains tangible today in the technical standard and the drive to dare to make individual plays. The result is a team that structurally belongs to the global top four and that won Olympic bronze in Paris 2024, its sixth Olympic medal in seven Games.
Everything you want to know about hockey in Argentina
— LAYERSNational Hockey Federation
website: September 2026
National men's team
ranked 4 FIHNo hockey nation lives as much on a knife's edge as Argentina. Los Leones are the only fully amateur team ever to win Olympic gold, players who do not make a living from their sport and even pay their club for the right to play, yet who have stood among the world's top ten for two unbroken decades. At the 2026 World Cup in Amstelveen they fight in a brutal pool with hosts the Netherlands, an emerging New Zealand and a lightning-fast Japan, entering it as the lowest-ranked side.
The team stands at the dawn of a new era. Head coach Lucas Rey, a former captain and Rio 2016 gold medallist, leads a generational shift in which his brother Matías is the only remaining Olympic champion on the pitch and the Córdoba goal machine Tomás Domene is the marksman. In the dossier you can read how the Rey brothers, garra and a deadly penalty corner come together in the hunt for a first World Cup medal since the bronze of The Hague 2014.
National women's team
ranked 2 FIHLas Leonas have been part of the global top continuously since the nineties. Under head coach Fernando Ferrara, the team plays with the signature that made it great: technical, fierce and with an unyielding mentality at decisive moments. Captains Agostina Alonso and María José Granatto form the leadership axis, with Noel Barrionuevo as penalty-corner specialist and Argentina's all-time top scorer.
What sets Las Leonas apart is a culture in which individual daring and collective identity coexist. The legacy of Luciana Aymar, Rosario 2010 and Sergio Vigil shines through in every new generation. At the 2026 World Cup Argentina plays in Pool B in Wavre, with Germany, the United States and Scotland as opponents and a third world title as the only true benchmark.
National club competition
website: September 2026
FIH certified hockey fields
2 certifiedCategory 2
2 certifiedFields for international and top-level national competitions.
- Estadio de Hockey Soledad Garcia, CordobaForbexC1600 TXT SISValid until: Jul 7, 2029
- Estadio Mundialista de Hockey Luciana Aymar, RosarioForbexC1600 TXT SISValid until: Dec 15, 2027
Coaches
Coming soon
Referees
Coming soon
Argentina hockey teams at the FIH WC 2026
— WK26Wavre, België
Standings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ARG | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 |
| 2 | GER | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 6 |
| 3 | USA | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | SCO | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | -6 | 0 |
Argentina finished 1st in Pool B and play in Pool F in phase 2. Their new opponents come from Pool C: Belgium (1st) and Spain (2nd). Pool rival Germany (2nd in Pool B) is also in Pool F; that match was already played in phase 1. Pool F competes for places 1 to 8, with the top two reaching the semifinals.
Standings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ARG | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 |
| 2 | BEL | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 |
| 3 | GER | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | ESP | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | -6 | 1 |
Amstelveen, Nederland
Standings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NED | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 9 |
| 2 | ARG | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 6 |
| 3 | NZL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 12 | -8 | 3 |
| 4 | JPN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | -8 | 0 |
Argentina finished 2nd in Pool A and play in Pool E in phase 2. Their new opponents come from Pool D: England (1st) and India (2nd). Pool rival Netherlands (1st in Pool A) is also in Pool E; that match was already played in phase 1. Pool E competes for places 1 to 8, with the top two reaching the semifinals.
Standings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NED | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 7 |
| 2 | ARG | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 6 |
| 3 | ENG | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | IND | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 0 |
Historical highlights Argentina
— HIST1927
FIH membership
Argentina joins the International Hockey Federation.
2002
World Cup gold (women) - Perth
Las Leonas win their first world title under Sergio Vigil.
2004
Olympic bronze - Athens
First Olympic medal for the Argentine women's team.
2010
World Cup gold (women) - Rosario
Second world title, on home soil, under Carlos Retegui.
2012
Olympic silver - London
Las Leonas reach the Olympic final.
2024
Olympic bronze - Paris
Sixth Olympic medal in seven Games; Cristina Cosentino the hero in the shoot-outs.
2026
World Cup 2026
Women: gold. Won the final on shoot-outs against the Netherlands. Men: bronze. Won the bronze-medal match against the Netherlands.