Cairo to Host the First FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup in December
Hockey5s is getting its first youth world championship, and it’s heading to Cairo.
The FIH has confirmed the Egyptian capital will host the first FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup from 7 to 12 December 2026. Twenty-four teams will take part, 12 women’s and 12 men’s, and it’s the first FIH world event for this age group ever held in Africa.
Hockey5s is the five-a-side format that first showed up at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games. Fast, small-sided, goals everywhere. A youth world championship for it has been coming for a while, and now it has a date and a city.
The pools are set. In the women’s competition, Pool A has India, Egypt, Brazil and Kazakhstan; Pool B has Poland, Ukraine, Kenya and Iran; Pool C has South Africa, Uruguay, Nigeria and China. In the men’s competition, Pool A has Poland, Nigeria, South Africa and Uruguay; Pool B has India, Switzerland, Bangladesh and Chile; Pool C has Egypt, Kenya, Iran and Austria.
South Africa are in the mix in both competitions, and their under-18 squads for Egypt were named last month. Egypt get a home tournament in both draws too, which should make for a loud opening week in Cairo.
Pool matches run across 9 and 10 December, three games per team. Then all 12 teams in each competition are ranked across the pools. The three pool winners plus the best runner-up go to the semi-finals on 11 December. The other runners-up and best third-placed sides play off for 5th to 8th, and the rest for 9th to 12th. The finals, bronze medal matches and remaining classification games are all on 12 December.
It’s not just a tournament either. An Athlete Talent Camp runs on 7 and 8 December, covering Hockey5s tactics, Olympic values, wellbeing and long-term development. A Youth Leadership Camp runs through the whole event, 7 to 12 December, giving young team officials and umpires hands-on experience. Anyone who completes it picks up either an FIH Level 1 Umpiring Award or an FIH Youth Leadership Award.
FIH president Tayyab Ikram tied it back to the federation’s Empowerment and Engagement Strategy, launched at the Olympic House in 2022. “One of the commitments… was to initiate world level events for U18 athletes,” he said. “This 24 team event in Cairo is the fulfilment of that commitment and another step towards making international hockey relevant to a younger generation.” Some teams will also get Olympic Solidarity support to help with travel and attendance.
Every match will be streamed live on watch.hockey.
A first edition always throws up a surprise or two, and the format guarantees it. Three pool games, then straight into knockout territory for the best four. No room for a slow start.
India look strong on paper in both draws. Egypt at home, in front of their own crowd, won’t be an easy first game for anyone. And South Africa’s youngsters have already had a taste of this stage at the Dakar Youth Olympic Games this month. December in Cairo should be a proper showcase for where the next generation is at.
