No. 2 Argentina win the 2026 FIH World Cup, upset No. 1 Netherlands in shootouts

The 2026 FIH World Cup broke attendance and viewership records. Photo: USA Field Hockey

Argentina stunned the Netherlands on Saturday, rallying from a halftime deficit before winning the 2026 FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup final 3-1 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation. 

The victory gave Las Leonas their first world title since 2010 and denied the top-ranked Dutch a fourth consecutive World Cup crown on home soil. 

The Netherlands, the reigning champion and tournament host, struck first late in the second quarter. With 51 seconds left before halftime, Yibbi Jansen converted a penalty corner to give the Dutch a 1-0 lead at the break. 

Argentina kept pressing through the second half, searching for the breakthrough that would keep its title hopes alive. 

That breakthrough came in the 54th minute, when María Granatto pounced on a rebound off a penalty corner and fired home the equalizer. 

Neither team found a winner in the closing minutes, sending the final to a shootout to decide the world champion. 

Argentina held its nerve from the start, with Victoria Granatto, Brisa Bruggesser and Sofia Cairo converting in the shootout. Marijn Veen scored for the Netherlands, but Argentina goalkeeper Cristina Cosentino helped shut the door as Las Leonas sealed the 3-1 shootout win. 

Cosentino, who was named Player of the Match, said Argentina stayed focused on fighting for every ball and enjoying the moment once the game reached the shootout. 

“I really have no words for this,” Cosentino said in a statement. “We were looking forward to this moment. Holland is a really tough opponent, and we knew it was going to be like that. So it was like fight each ball and the goal will come, and then just have fun in the shootout.” 

For Argentina, the win marked another chapter in one of international field hockey’s defining rivalries. After falling to the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup final, Las Leonas answered four years later with a comeback victory on Dutch soil. 

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