“Sold out house every day at the 2026 World Cup”

The flag was dropped at the KNHB on Thursday. On that day, the hockey association was informed by the international hockey association FIH that it could organize the double World Cup (men and women) in 2026 with Belgium. Federal Director Erik Gerritsen fills us in on that point on the hockey horizon. “We want to renovate Wagener Stadium.”

Congratulations on the awarding of the World Cup. What does this mean for hockey in our country?
“First of all, that we can expect a wonderful event for nearly four years. It can be in the list of World Cups 1998 and 2014. Unforgettable tournaments that put extra hockey on the map in our country. We hope that will happen in 2026 as well. It’s the biggest hockey event there is and it’s an honor to host it. This gives an extra cachet to our sport. I can already see that from the many replies. The impact is much greater than with a European Championship. In short: we are proud of it.

What will be the biggest challenge around 2026?
“I mostly see opportunities. The FIH not only accepted our offer because we are financially and commercially eand attractive offer. Also because we can make sure we have a sold-out house every day of the World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands. A full stadium in two places every day, which is of course a great promotion for hockey. Other countries could not offer this.

Gerritsen (right) with former FIH President Narinder Batra. Photo: Willem Verne

Did you know if the FIH preferred a double?
“No, we had no idea. I didn’t think we were “favorites” or anything like that. Of course we were confident in our bid, but for example England’s campaign with the use of Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium for the men’s tournament final was also impressive. After the tournament in The Hague in 2014, there were no more double World Cups. The idea of ​​a tournament that is equal in all facets for women and men, in the same place and with the same attention for each gender, naturally fits perfectly into the current zeitgeist. Apparently I liked it.

Is the collaboration with the Belgian federation different from that with Spain, with whom you organized the Women’s World Cup this year?
‘Yes. The main difference is that from the first moment we really worked together and formed a common organization. It was different with Spain, then we helped them. We joined this process at the last minute as a “subcontractor”. Looking back, we both played different tournaments. We have learned from this: as partners, we need to do much more together. Moreover, we are much closer to the Belgians in terms of culture and language. This makes cooperation even easier and closer. Also, it is not necessary to fly during the tournament. Both stadiums are within driving distance of each other. Closer than stadiums in other candidate countries.

In 2017, the main stand of the Wagener was replaced. Photo: Koen Suyko

You just mentioned the Tottenham stadium. The 1998 and 2014 World Cups were held at De Galgenwaard in Utrecht and Kyocera in The Hague. Was it possible to also opt for a temple of football in 2026?
No, we want to do it at Wagener Stadium. It’s a beautiful, atmospheric and familiar place for a major tournament. We hope that the World Cup will be a flywheel for the necessary renovation of the stadium. Five years ago we were able to replace the main stand. Now we want to renew the other three stands and for this we need the help of the municipalities of Amsterdam and Amstelveen, the province of Noord-Holland and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport . We would like to increase the capacity for larger events to ten to twelve thousand seats. That seems like a good number for the 2026 World Cup. If it works, we have a state of the art hockey stadium that can last another thirty years.

The 2026 World Cup will take place this summer. Can you be a bit more specific on the dates?
“There are now two options with the FIH. Or after the season, in the first weeks of July. The other possibility is in the second half of August. We prefer the latter, because the combination with the big league schedule is better and we also expect more interested parties.

Finally, the news from last Saturday. The Pakistani Mohammad Tayyab Ikram has been elected new FIH President, in favor of the Belgian Marc Coudron. In addition, Europe and major hockey countries have lost some FIH board positions. Is this a concern for hockey on our continent?
“In terms of voting rates, the major European countries and, for example, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina are indeed behind in the FIH Executive Board. While these are the countries with the best performance, the most hockey players and the most impact. This can be a risk in view of future decisions, such as the international hockey calendar. At the same time, Tayyab Ikram knows the Dutch hockey world well, including the life of our club – and many coaches and trainers. He knows that we are the hockey country that contributes the most to the development of international hockey, which is his spearhead. In addition, he says he wants to unite the hockey world more. We want nothing more than to connect and collaborate internationally. We are therefore fully committed to it, with Erik Cornelissen as a member of the FIH Board of Directors.’