By Hockey is a popular sport played across the globe mainly in the Asian continents. While sports in general is a male-dominated area, over the years many powerful women have emerged in the field of sports, especially hockey. Some years ago, female hockey teams were less talked about but with the immense success of many women’s squads at an international level, the ladies are finally getting all the recognition and glory they deserve. In this post, we have compiled the top 6 female hockey teams based on the present FIH rankings.
1. Netherlands (3199.16 points)
Currently taking the no.1 spot based on the official FIH ranking, the Netherlands’ national women’s field hockey team, and also the reigning world champ. As of now, the Netherlands is widely considered the most triumphant squad in the history of the World Cup. The Dutch squad has won the title nine times and has achieved a total of nine Olympic gold medals.
2. Argentina (2642.51 points)
As per the current FIH ranking, the Argentina women’s national field hockey squad is overseen by the Argentine Hockey Confederation (CAH). Fernando Ferrara serves as the coach who was selected after Carlos Retegui left in 2021.
The Argentine women’s hockey team also known as Las Leonas (The Lionesses in English) has reached the Hockey World Cup finals six times and won the World Cup title two times in 2002 and 2010.
Las Leonas have been victorious at the Summer Olympics, receiving four successive medals– two silver medals and two bronze medals. In 2001, the team won their first title at a Hockey Champions Trophy and later won the tournament six times. The team also won their first international title in the 2014/15 Hockey World League in front of their fellow Argentine crowd.
3. Australia (2588.33 points)
Often referred to as “the Hockeyroos”, the Australian women’s national field hockey team is currently ranked 3rd in the world. The team participated in their first match in 1914, and their initial Olympic match in 1984. The team is one of Australia’s most established sporting squads, having won three gold medals in the Olympic games which they won in 1988, 1996, and 2000, two-time World Cup gold medals in 1994 and 1998, and four-time Commonwealth Games gold medals in 1998, 2006, 2010, and 2014. The Hockeyroos is also a five-time Australia’s Team of the Year and a recipient of Australia’s Best Team at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000.
4. England (2217.91 points)
The England women’s national field hockey squad currently ranks fourth based on the FIH world ranking. The team appeared in the World Cup 11 times and won third place (bronze medal) in 2010 has appeared in the Commonwealth Games 7 times, the English squad have so far won three bronze medals, three silver medals, and one gold which they won in 2022 and are the current reigning champion.
5. Germany (2199.36 points)
Nicknamed “Die Danas”, the Germany women’s national field hockey team’s current head coach is Valentin Altenburg, and serving as the manager of the team is Fabian Schuler. The German women’s squad has been a part of a unified Germany since 1991. The team first appeared in the Hockey World Cup in 1974, where they ended up third and received a bronze medal. Out of the 15 times they appeared in the World Cup, the team has won two gold medals. In 2004, the team received a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, after they won against the Dutch in the final. Die Danas has also won the European Championships two times in 2007 and 2013.
6. Belgium (2175.48 points)
Currently taking the no.6 spot as per FIH world ranking, the Belgium women’s national field hockey squad is coached by Raoul Ehren. The team has so far appeared in the World Cup seven times and won third place in the third appearance. From 1983 to 2010, the Belgium women’s hockey team did not even qualify until 2014. In 2017, the Belgians reached the finals at the EuroHockey Nations Championship and finished in second place, and in 2021, they reached the semi-finals and finished third place.
