The summer of hockey continues in Alanya as eight women’s national teams descend on Turkey for the EuroHockey Championship III, taking place from 22–27 July 2025.
With promotion places and qualification pathways for future events at stake, this third-tier continental competition offers a vital platform for emerging hockey nations to compete for silverware, ranking points, and progress on the European stage.
The top two teams will qualify for the EuroHockey Championship Qualifier I in 2026, while the remaining two will head to Qualifier II (subject to the number of entries).
Four Nations, One Goal
The lineup for this year’s edition includes a mix of emerging programs and resilient returnees:
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇹🇷 Türkiye (hosts)
- 🇺🇦 Ukraine
With a single round-robin pool format, every match will be decisive. There’s little room for error, and a single win could define the path to promotion.
🇭🇺 Hungary: A Return Fueled by Passion
Hungary’s participation marks a historic return to the European stage — their first appearance at a major international competition since 1936. Re-established in 2017, the national team made its tournament debut in 2019 in Slovenia. The road back has been paved with determination.
“It’s a bit like preparing Hungary’s national swimming team in a hot spring.”
— Head Coach Zsolt Ferenczi
Despite the challenges, the Hungarian squad heads to Alanya with belief, resilience, and a powerful message: that every player deserves the right to compete — regardless of background or budget.
The team currently has no artificial pitch suitable for training in Hungary. As a result, players have had to travel abroad — to Slovakia, Croatia, or Slovenia — to prepare. Combined with limited funding, Hungary’s build-up to the tournament has been fuelled more by determination and community support than resources.
🇱🇺 Luxembourg – multicultural spirit
The Luxembourg Women’s National Hockey Team is a young and growing group that officially came together for the first time in 2024. While the team is new to international competition, the passion, commitment, and multicultural spirit of our players make us truly unique.
Their players are based in several countries across Europe and America — including Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and even further abroad — and unite for international training camps and tournaments. This diverse geography brings challenges, but also enriches our team with a variety of playing styles and experiences.
“This team may be young, but they are building something meaningful. They show that passion, adaptability, and national pride can overcome distance and limited resources. I’m proud of their growth and determination.” – Head Coach Natalia Garcia
🇹🇷 Turkiye: Motivated hosts
The team held its first training camp in Gaziantep, a city in the southeast of Türkiye. The hockey pitch of the city, which suffered a major earthquake 2 years ago, is still standing.
The team consists of players from many different cities in Türkiye. Although not having many hockey pitches may seem like a disadvantage, this disadvantage has a positive effect on us as a motivation.
In Türkiye, hockey develops step by step day by day, but they go out on the field to win in every category.
🇺🇦 Ukraine:
The Ukraine national team is driven by national pride. Having finished 4th in the EuroHockey Qualifier in 2024, they qualified for the EuroHockey Championships III. Their spirit and determination is always an extra motivation and ones to watch in Alanya!
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Photographed: Luxembourg in action
