2 weeks ago
Belgium Hosts Hockey World Cup After Years Without a Stadium
Belgium's hockey players are very good, but Belgium did not have a proper hockey stadium for a long time.
The players won big prizes before the country built special places for them to play.
The team won a silver medal at the Olympics in 2016, then won the World Cup for the first time in 2018.
Three years later, in 2021, they won Olympic gold.
After all those wins, Belgium finally built a brand-new national hockey stadium called the Belfius Hockey Arena.
It has two hockey fields and seats 4,000 people, with extra seats for 10,000 during the World Cup.
Now Belgium is hosting the men's Hockey World Cup at this new stadium.
When Arthur Van Doren was a kid, watching Belgium in a big tournament felt like a distant dream.
Fellow player Alexander Hendrickx hopes many people who have never watched hockey will come and support the team.
The players want the World Cup to help more Belgians discover hockey.
Belgium is hosting the men's Hockey World Cup at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, its new national hockey stadium inaugurated in April.
The arena, rebuilt from the old Justin Peeters Stadium, has two pitches and a permanent capacity of 4,000, rising to 10,000 with temporary stands for the World Cup.
The Red Lions' success outpaced their infrastructure: fifth at the 2014 World Cup, Olympic silver in Rio in 2016, their first world title in 2018, and Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021.
Two-time FIH World Player of the Year Arthur Van Doren and teammate Alexander Hendrickx, both of Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, recalled hockey's past struggles, including a 2009 petition urging Flemish public broadcaster VRT for more coverage.
Hendrickx expects strong media coverage and says the home World Cup will introduce hockey to Belgians who have never watched the sport.
- Who
- Belgium's men's national hockey team, the Red Lions, featuring players Alexander Hendrickx and Arthur Van Doren.
- What
- Hosting the men's Hockey World Cup, with the final at the new Belfius Hockey Arena national stadium in Wavre.
- Where
- Wavre, Belgium.
- When
- 2026 — the arena opened in April, and the World Cup is being played this month.
- Why
- Belgium's on-field results long outgrew its infrastructure, and the new stadium and home World Cup give hockey a chance to reach new fans.
Key facts
- Event
- Men's Hockey World Cup hosted by Belgium
- Venue
- Belfius Hockey Arena, Wavre, Belgium
- Stadium opening
- April, five years after Olympic gold and eight years after its first World Cup win
- Capacity
- 4,000 permanent; up to 10,000 with temporary stands for the World Cup
- Pitches
- Two
- Recent record
- 2018 World Cup champions; 2021 Tokyo Olympic champions; 2016 Rio Olympic silver
- Federation membership by 2012
- 30,000, double the figure of the previous decade
Quotes
Alexander Hendrickx
Teammate of Arthur Van Doren at Vedanta Kalinga Lancers
“Oh my God, we just stopped and they’ve built a stadium and there’s a World Cup at home”
indianexpress.com
“When we started, it wasn’t really imaginable to play a World Cup at home”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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