Las Diablas are playing high-level friendly matches to prepare for the World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Following their strong performance in the Santiago 2026 Qualifiers, the Chilean women's and men's field hockey teams have already begun their preparations for the upcoming challenges. The women's and men's teams will represent Chile abroad against important rivals in the lead-up to their international tournaments. The women's team, coached by Cristóbal Rodríguez, is fine-tuning details for one of the most important events on their calendar. Ranked 11th in the FIH World Ranking, they will compete in the Nations Cup in New Zealand, hoping to further establish themselves among the best teams in the world. The tournament, which will be held in Auckland from June 15th to 21st, will bring together emerging powers in world hockey. The Chilean women's team is in Group B with the host nation, South Korea, and France. The winner of the tournament will earn a direct spot in the ProLeague, the most important international league for national teams. In the days leading up to this demanding competition, Chile will have a high-level training camp with friendly matches against top-ranked opponents. The national team will face New Zealand (10th in the world ranking), as well as the United States (12th) and India (9th). Next comes the major goal: the World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands, which will be held from August 15th to 30th. To arrive in optimal condition, the team has confirmed new friendly matches against India, England (6th), and a third team of the same caliber, yet to be confirmed. It is worth remembering that at the beginning of March, the draw for the group stage of the World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands took place, where the women's team learned their opponents. Specifically, the host nation and the world's number one team will be in Group A with the Chilean team. The other opponents will be Australia and Japan, two teams against which Chile has achieved very positive and recent results. As a final note, the Chilean women's team defeated Australia and Japan in the Santiago 2026 Qualifiers. They won against the Australians 2-1 and 1-0 in the group stage and the final, respectively. They defeated the Japanese team 2-0 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. The Men's Team Heads to Europe. In parallel with the women's team's planning, the men's team will also have a significant international schedule following the positive performance shown in the recent Santiago 2026 Qualifiers, where the team, coached by Emiliano Monteleone, managed to compete on equal footing with high-level national teams. The national men's team, currently ranked 23rd in the World Ranking, will embark on a tour of Europe between July 22nd and August 6th, based in the United Kingdom. There, they will face two British rivals with a strong tradition: Wales (16th) and Scotland (17th). These matches will be crucial in Chile's preparation for the upcoming XIII South American Games in Santa Fe 2026 (Odesur), one of the major sporting challenges of the cycle. The team is already working focused on this goal, seeking to maintain the competitive growth that this team has shown in recent championships. NEWSLETTER: Deportivo. Monday, 8:45 AM. A special selection with coverage and analysis of the most important sporting events of the weekend, by the sports team of La Tercera. By subscribing, you are accepting the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policies of La Tercera.