After the tournament (European Indoor Championships) is before the tournament (FIH World Cup Qualifiers). Can our ladies achieve the impossible?
Mission World Cup Qualifiers (WCQ)
The biggest challenge and honor for our ladies this year? Taking part in the FIH World Cup Qualifiers (WCQ), which our ladies won by successfully participating in last year’s European Championship. A historic opportunity for our women’s national team to qualify at this tournament for the World Cup in the Netherlands/Belgium in August. Never before in the history of Swiss Hockey had the women made it this far.
And yes, at first glance it may appear to be a “mission impossible”: our women will face Australia, France and hosts Chile in the preliminary round. The matches are already seeded.
| Datum | Uhrzeit (Chile, UTC-03:00) | Gegner der Schweizer Damen Nati |
|---|---|---|
| 2. März, 2026 | 19.45 | Chile |
| 4. März, 2026 | 13.30 | Frankreich |
| 5. März, 2026 | 17.30 | Australien |
And anyone looking at the intensive indoor season of the women’s national team (test matches against Croatia, 3rd place in the Rohrmax Cup, 7th place in the European Indoor Championships, Swiss Hockey Final4) will wonder whether the World Cup qualifier is not coming too soon and whether there is still enough time to prepare for the field.
“We’ve actually been preparing since last fall and are now intensifying our preparations. The hall in between wasn’t an obstacle – on the contrary: we were able to develop as a team, get to know each other even better and build up a blind trust in each other. After all, 11 of the 12 players from Prague are also in the selection squad for Chile. The will and fighting spirit have definitely been strengthened and we are ready to give everything for our dream of participating in the World Cup,” explains Stephanie Weber, captain of the team.
From now on, it’s full concentration in the preparation for the WCQ and that in the middle of winter. And this preparation is not only on the field, but also off the field: financially. Taking part in the WCQ also means bearing high costs, not only from the association but also from the players themselves.
The women’s national team has been running a fundraising campaign since December and is happy to receive any support. Would you like to help? Here are the options for you:
Direct donation with the reference “Swiss Hockey Women’s National Team” to the following bank account IBAN: CH300 8401 0167 2304 4702, Migros Bank, Account holder: Swiss Hockey, Bahnhofweg 2, 6048 Horw- Purchase a clinic for your club with selected players from the women’s national team (e.g., for taster training sessions with schools or similar): please contact punleuk.kam@swisshockey.org directly for this.
- Support for the I-believe-in-you campaign https://www.ibelieveinyou.ch/de/project/3926/gemeinsam-geschichte-schreiben (even though the official target has been reached, we are still trying to collect more – after all, targets are there to be exceeded! Or even easier, make a direct donation (see 1.))
On behalf of the Ladies Nati, we would like to thank you for your support in making the impossible possible.