Hockey in United States
USA
FIH Rankings
NCAA, Charlotte and the engine behind US hockey
— CULTAmerican hockey rests on a foundation that is unique in the hockey world: the NCAA system. USA Field Hockey coordinates the national programme, but the real talent engine consists of the universities, where hundreds of students play at high level each season on full athletic scholarships. Programmes at universities like North Carolina, Connecticut, Princeton, Northwestern and Maryland deliver a constant flow of players combining athletic capacity, tactical schooling and game experience that is unusual in other hockey countries.
What systemically sets the US apart is the residency programme in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the national squad trains and lives full-time year round. This is the American answer to the Chinese state academies and the Japanese Jitsugyōdan model: a fully professionalised environment in which players are freed from side jobs and university commitments to train at world-class level. The programme combines athletics with scientific underpinning and has worked with — among others — Navy SEAL-based mental resilience training.
Under head coach David Passmore, an ex-international and Pro League builder, and assistant coach Maddie Hinch, the British Olympic champion of Rio 2016, the Eagles aim for a podium spot at the home tournament LA 2028. The 2026 World Cup is, in that strategy, both a building moment and a test case. Tactical concepts like Remmerswaal's Overview Hockey and Tichelman's Six Accelerators are explicitly used by the staff to accelerate the team's growth into the global top five.
More about United States
— LAYERSNational women's team
ranked 11 FIHThe American Eagles are in a build-up phase towards LA 2028, but the 2026 World Cup is the first big test for the generation under head coach David Passmore. With Maddie Hinch as goalkeeper coach and assistant, the Charlotte residency as base and a squad emerging from the NCAA universe, the US fields a team that ranks technically and athletically in the upper mid-table.
What sets the Eagles apart is the unique pipeline of university talent, paired with one of the best-funded national programmes outside the Asian and European top. At the 2026 World Cup they take on Pool B in Wavre against Argentina, Germany and Scotland — a tough group in which every win confirms a step towards the world's top.
National men's team
ranked 26 FIHComing soon
Clubs
Coming soon
Certified fields
19 certified (3 expired)Category 2
3 certifiedFields for international and top-level national competitions.
- Episcopal High School, Bellaire TXGreenfieldsGreenfields TX ProValid until: Mar 26, 2028
- United States Performance Center, University of North Carolina, CharlottePolytanPoligras Paris GT 11-43 EL 10Valid until: Apr 26, 2027
- Saint Joseph's University - Ellen Ryan Field, Merion StationAstroTurfPoligras Platinum CoolPlus A on Insitu 15mmValid until: Aug 5, 2027
Category 3
15 certified (3 expired)Fields for lower-level national, regional and club play.
- Pruitt Field (Ohio University), AthensAstroTurfAstroTurf A12 + 15mm ELayerValid until: Sep 4, 2028
- Appalachian State University, BooneAstroTurfPoligras Platinum CoolPlus A on Insitu 25mmValid until: Dec 3, 2026
- Boston University, BostonAstroTurfAstrotTurf A12 + 15mm ElayerValid until: Sep 27, 2026
- Harvard University, BostonPolytanPoligras Platinum CoolPlus A on Insitu 25mmValid until: Sep 28, 2026
- Fairfield University, FairfieldAstroTurfAstroTurf Paris GT Zero 11-43 MBValid until: Oct 29, 2028
- Greenwich Academy, GreenwichAstroTurfAstroTurf Paris GT Zero 11-43 MBValid until: Oct 18, 2028
- Sacred Heart Greenwich, GreenwichAstroTurfAstroTurf Paris GT Zero 11-43 MBValid until: Sep 16, 2028
- University of Connecticut, HartfordPolytanPoligras Platinum CoolPlus 11-42 EL10Valid until: Sep 28, 2026
- Cornell University, IthacaGreenfieldsGreenfields TX Pro Plus (v5.0) EL15Valid until: Nov 13, 2028
- Wicked Blue Field, LowellAstroTurfAstroTurf A12 + 15mm ELayerValid until: Nov 9, 2028
- Northeastern University – Dedham Field, Dedham, MAAstroTurfPOLIGRAS PLATINUM COOLPLUS A ON INSITU 25MMValid until: Aug 21, 2027
- Smith College, NorthamptonAstroTurfAstroTurf Paris GT Zero 11-43 MB ET 25HValid until: Sep 17, 2028
- University of Maine, OronoAstroTurfAstrotTurf A12 + 15mm ElayerValid until: Dec 1, 2026
- WC Eagles, Spring CityPolytanPoligras Platinum CoolPlus A on Insitu 25mmValid until: Oct 24, 2026
- Tower Hill School, WilmingtonAstroTurfPoligras Platinum CoolPlus A on Insitu 25mmValid until: Oct 25, 2026
- Washington and Lee University, LexingtonexpiredAstroTurfAstroTurf A12 + 15mm ELayerExpired: Jul 26, 2026
- SportPort, Maryland HeightsexpiredAstroTurfAstroTurf A12 + 15mm ELayerExpired: Jul 18, 2026
- Wake Forest University, Winston-SalemexpiredAstroTurfPoligras Platinum CoolPlus A 11-42 EL10Expired: Jul 27, 2026
Category 4
1 certifiedHockey turf with line markings so other sports can also be played.
- Greenwich Country Day School, GreenwichAstroTurfPoligras Platinum CoolPlus A on Insitu 25mmValid until: Oct 26, 2026
Coaches
Coming soon
Referees
Coming soon
Historical highlights
— HIST1984
Olympic bronze
Bronze in Los Angeles with record top scorer Beth Anders, the only Olympic medal.
1994
World Cup bronze
Bronze at the World Cup in Dublin, to this day the highest World Cup finish ever.
2015
Pan Am gold
Gold at the Pan American Games and qualification for Rio 2016.
2024
Olympic participation in Paris
Return to the Games, ninth place.
2026
World Cup qualification
Silver at the Pan American Cup in Montevideo secures the World Cup ticket.