EuroHockey

🇳🇱 Oranje women looking to continue Under-21 winning streak

As the EuroHockey U21 Championship’s most decorated team and the reigning world champions, the Netherlands arrive in Valencia as ones of the teams to beat.

Kai De Jager’s squad features 12 members of the team that defeated Argentina 2-1 in the 2025 U21 World Cup final in Chile. Goalkeepers Phileine Hazen and Iza Osborne return alongside Kaatje Walhof, Brechtje van Santbrink, Imke Verstraeten, Katerina Langedijk, Lieve Wijckmans, Fleur Wolfert, Iris de Kemp, Maud van den Heuvel, Veere ter Horst and Babs Reijnen.

That experienced core forms the backbone of a squad already accustomed to winning major tournaments. Captain Imke Verstraeten leads the team into the competition and is the most experienced player in the squad with 17 U21 appearances.

The reigning world champions have also been strengthened by the arrival of Merle Blaffert, Lotte Ruts and Anouk Slotema. The trio helped the Netherlands secure the U18 European title in Lille in 2025 with Ruts named player of the tournament.

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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England focus on playing with conviction on return to Valencia

Caspar Lea has been named as England’s Under-21 men’s captain for the first time at a major international tournament as they return to the scene of their last medal at this level.

They picked up silver in 2019 in Valencia with a star-studded line-up which featured Zach Wallace, Ollie Payne, James Mazarelo, Nick Park and Stu Rushmere.

This year’s vintage is looking to make their mark with Lea joined by James Carleton, Johnny Sturch-Hibbitt and Mikey Royden-Turner who have all gained valuable senior international experience over the past 18 months.

Royden-Turner debuted in the Pro League against India in June while Sturch-Hibbitt has three caps from February 2025; Carleton was in the England squad in Mönchengladbach for the EuroHockey Championship, coming on in their 7-0 win over Austria.

Kaden Draysey was a star man at the Junior World Cup (where they finished ninth), netting nine times in six games – all from set pieces – and has 19 goals in 18 Under-21 internationals with England and Great Britain.

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The EuroHockey U21 Championships 2026 were officially opened on Thursday at the brand new Tarongers hockey field in Valencia ahead of the competition which begins on Sunday.

The event featured speeches by Luis Cervera, Director General of Sports for the Valencian Regional Government; Jesús Gracia, President of the Valencian Community Hockey Federation; José Ricardo Vila, Head of Elite Sports Services; and Carlos Viard, Events Coordinator for the Valencian Community Hockey Federation.

Find out more here:

New Tarongers pitch in Valencia hosts Euro U21 official opening - EuroHockey New Tarongers pitch in Valencia hosts Euro U21 official openingAuthor -24/07/2026 - 09:35Author 24/07/2026 09:35EuroHockey News The EuroHockey U21 Championships 2026 were officially opened on Thursday at the brand new Tarongers hockey field in Valencia ahead of the competition which begins on Sunday...

Poznań’s Politechnic Univeristy is the venue for the men’s EuroHockey U21 Championship II-A where promotion to the top division in 2028 and one place at next year’s Junior World Cup is on the line.

The format is a straight round-robin tournament with each of the six nations playing each other once with the winner of the group taking the big prizes.

Read the preview here:

Six hopefuls head to Poznań seeking men’s U21 promotion and JWC ticket - EuroHockey Six hopefuls head to Poznań seeking men’s U21 promotion and JWC ticketAuthor -24/07/2026 - 08:15Author 24/07/2026 08:15EuroHockey News Men’s EuroHockey U21 Championship II-A (Poznań, Poland) – July 27th to August 1st Pool A: Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine Poznań’s Pol...

🇦🇹 Promoted Austria back in men’s top tier after Walcz gold

Austria are competing in the top tier for the fifth time in the last six editions having won their way back via a gold medal from Championship II-A in Walcz in 2024.

They do so with head coach Benjamin Stanzl looking to inspire the side and impart some of his knowledge picked up across Indoor World Cup and EHL winning sides.

He has selected a group led by captain Jakob Bauer, one of the most experienced players in the squad with 11 Under-21 caps and recent senior international experience.

Bauer is joined by several players who have already broken into Austria’s men’s national team, giving the young side an unusually seasoned core.

A key strength of this Austrian squad is the number of players already competing at a high level abroad. Julian Kaiser plays for Dutch club Oranje Rood and has earned both Under-21 and senior international recognition, while Jonas Anhaus plays with SV Kampong in the Netherlands after helping the club win the Dutch U18 championship.

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Austria are competing in the men's EuroHockey U21 Championship top tier for the fifth time in the last six editions having won their way back via a gold medal from Championship II-A in Walcz in 2024.

Find out more about their squad here:

Promoted Austria back in men’s top tier after Walcz gold - EuroHockey Promoted Austria back in men’s top tier after Walcz goldAuthor -21/07/2026 - 17:26Author 21/07/2026 17:26EuroHockey News Men’s EuroHockey U21 Championship preview – Austria Appearances: 7 Best performances: 6th (2014, 2017) Austria are competing in the top tier for the fifth time in the last s...

EuroHockey U21 Championship II-A Men is coming to Poznań!

Six teams. Six days. One goal.

📍 Poznań, Poland
📅 27 July – 1 August 2026

Germany’s Under-21 women are looking to continue their impressive record which has seen them reach the top four in Europe in each of the 21 editions to date, winning the overall crown nine times 🇩🇪

Seven players from the team that competed at the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup in Chile at the end of 2025 have been selected, including Taja Gans, Franziska Hagen, Victoria Käske, Mia Montag, Julia Schedl, Annika Schönhoff and Carolin Seidel. Indeed, Gans and Montag have amassed 38 caps each at youth level.
Schedl is an important attacking threat (6 international goals) as is Seidel (5 goals).

Their World Cup experience is complemented by a strong core from Germany’s U18 European Championship campaign in Lille in 2025, with Hagen, Käske and Schönhoff joined by Marie Buddenberg, Maxi Green, Franziska Pabsch and Emelie Tödter.
The squad also features Charlotte Hendrix, who arrives in Valencia as a reigning European indoor champion, helping Germany to gold in Prague earlier this year.

Coach Tobias Jordan believes the group has developed strongly in recent months and is ready for the challenge ahead.

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