Argentina’s women’s field hockey team defeated Scotland 2-0 on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium, securing first place in Group B with seven points and advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup.
Group B of the Belgium-Netherlands 2026 Hockey World Cup closes this Wednesday, defining the future of the four teams that competed at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, whose final position in the standings will determine if they remain in the race for the title or will have to compete for ninth place. The team managed by Fernando Ferrara shares the group with the United States, Germany, and Scotland. After opening their tournament with a draw against the United States and securing a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Germany, the Albiceleste arrived in Wavre needing either a win or a draw against Scotland to guarantee progression. In the first match, Las Leonas defeated Scotland 2-0 with goals from María José Granatto and Lara Casas, advancing among the top eight because they ensured at least a second-place finish. With their second victory in the tournament, Argentina leads with seven points, awaiting what happens from 9 (Argentina time) between the United States and Germany. The Scottish team, for their part, lost all their matches and finished last, meaning they will compete in the losers’ round.
Securing Group B Leadership Against Scotland
The match began at 6:00 (Argentina time) and is being broadcast on TV via ESPN 2, and by streaming on Disney+ Premium. At the close of the first half, Las Leonas lead 1-0 with a goal from the captain, Majo Granatto (11 minutes). María José Granatto opened the scoring, marking her first goal of the tournament. Granatto then served as the playmaker in the 40th minute, when Lara Casas scored the 2-0 for the Argentine National Team, following an excellent pass from Majo Granatto. Scotland requested a video ref, but after the review, the goal was validated.
Las Leonas reached the Scottish goal clearly again, but Buchanan shone in stopping Jankunas’ shot. The rebound fell to Victoria Miranda, but she could not define comfortably and the Scottish goalkeeper saved it again at the 53′. Additionally, at the 18th minute, Argentina was close to scoring again via a short corner. Gorzelany’s drag flick went close to the post after a deflection along the way. It remains 1-0. Despite those saves, the Scottish attack failed to break through a defense featuring Cristina Cosentino and Mercedes Artola, leaving Scotland winless at the bottom of the group and bound for the round of losers.
The Hard-Fought Preceding Battle With Germany
Las Leonas achieved a very hard-fought 3-2 victory over Germany in the second round of Group B of the field hockey World Cup, bringing them very close to qualification for the second round. The goals for those managed by Fernando Ferrara were scored by Eugenia Trinchinetti, Sofía Toccalino, and Agustina Gorzelany, while Lisa Nolte and Sonja Zimmermann scored for the Germans. Argentina had a crushing start, as they generated a short corner in the first minute of play. Despite having wasted it, they had another opportunity seconds later, after a dangerous play was called in the German defense. This is how the scoring opened before two minutes, when Trinchinetti deflected the second short corner presented to her.
During the rest of the first quarter, the national squad generated several opportunities to increase the lead, although they could not capitalize on any. In the second, a much-improved version of Germany was seen, which even had two short corners, although both executions passed close to the Argentine goal. The key to German dominance in this stretch of the match was the pressure in the middle of the field, as they constantly recovered the ball in that sector. At the start of the third period, Germany continued with its suffocating pressure and had another short corner, although again they could not take advantage of the opportunity. From there, Las Leonas appeared less erratic in their build-up and leveled the development of the match again, although without generating clear situations. In the last quarter, the albicelestes extended the lead at the 3-minute mark thanks to Toccalino, who executed a great penalty after a foul inside the area on Zoe Díaz. In this way, it seemed that Argentina had finished the match and was on track for qualification, but Germany reacted.
Tournament Format and What Lies Ahead in Belgium
The 2026 World Cup is being played between August 15 and 30 in Belgium and the Netherlands. The competition brings together 16 national teams in the women’s category. Argentina debuted in the World Cup on Saturday, August 15, against the United States and then faced Germany on Monday, the 17th. Las Leonas arrive at the World Cup after finishing as runners-up in the FIH Pro League 2025/26, a result that allowed them to remain among the top teams in international hockey. The squad managed by Fernando Ferrara consists of Cristina Cosentino, Mercedes Artola, Gorzelany, Valentina Raposo, Sofía Cairo, Sofía Toccalino, Milagros Alastra, Emma Knobl, Agostina Alonso, Juana Castellaro, Victoria Miranda, Victoria Sauze, Trinchinetti, Paula Ortíz. Having secured first place in Group B with seven points from two wins and a draw, the squad carries crucial points forward into the next phase.
A significant detail is the points with which the Argentines will begin the next phase
A significant detail is the points with which the Argentines will begin the next phase, as the points earned in the first stage against the other qualified team are carried forward. In this case, if the North Americans advance, Argentina will have one point because they drew against that rival in their debut, while if the Germans qualify, they will have the three points earned from that important victory. In the next stage, the albiceleste squad will form Group F along with the other qualifier from their group—Germany or the United States—plus two teams from Group C—Belgium, Spain, and Ireland. There, they will face only those they did not play in the first stage (two matches) and will aspire to finish first or second to enter the semifinals.
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