The 2026 Junior Pan American Cup will award the first tickets to the 2027 Junior World Cups

The global junior map starts to take shape in Santiago

FIH has highlighted the 2026 Junior Pan American Cup because the tournament does more than award a continental title: it opens the real route to the 2027 Junior World Cups. From 6 to 18 April, Santiago will gather some of the continent's strongest young national teams with an immediate and enormous prize at stake.

There will be six women's teams and seven men's teams, all competing in a single-pool format before the semi-finals and medal matches.

The top three teams in each tournament will qualify for the 2027 Junior World Cup, turning even the bronze-medal match into a disguised final.

The league stage will run from 6 to 15 April, with classification and medal matches closing the event on 17 and 18 April.

This is the kind of tournament that changes careers. For many players it will be their first major international test; for their countries, a chance to secure world-level participation a year in advance. That is why Santiago is not just another stop on the calendar but a gateway into the next big junior cycle.