The day brought together authorities, selected national and technical staff at the official start of the tournament that will grant quotas to the World Hockey Cesped 2026. In addition, a mural was opened in honor of the historic national archer Claudia Schüler and a strategic alliance for the television broadcast of the event was signed.

The official launch of the FIH World Cup Qualifiers Santiago 2026, a tournament that will be held between 1 and 8 March at the Cesped Claudia Schüler Hockey Center of the National Stadium Park and will be key on the way to the World Cup that will take place in August in the Netherlands and Belgium. This classification gives 3 direct quotas to the world event.

The event was attended by the president of Chile Hockey, Andrés de WittThe Minister of Sport, Jaime Pizarrothe national director (s) of the National Sports Institute, Juan Pablo Salgado; the general management of the Chilean Olympic Committee, Loreto Castillo; and the director of the National Stadium Park, Facundo Maza. The Claudia Schüler's family and the Diablas and the Shit. with their respective technical bodies.

During the instance, the president of the federation stressed the importance of hosting an international competition of this magnitude in Chile and the sustained growth that discipline has had in recent years. "It is a pride to receive this Qualifiers in our house. We know it will be a nice challenge to our selections and I am convinced that the public will come to support them from March 1", he held Witt.

One of the central moments was the official photo of the launch with the Diablas and the Shit., who They will seek their second historical classification to a World Cup as a local.

Tribute to a historical reference

The event also had a particularly significant space with the opening of a Mural in tribute to Claudia Schüler Hillmerthe historic archer of the national selection, who defended Chile in 235 international parties and became a reference in and out of the court.

The initiative was born from the Diablas as a form of permanent tribute to those who marked a generation within national hockey. The work is based on a photograph captured by Óscar Muñoz and was implemented by the artist Cristóbal Espinosa.

At a time of excitement, the family of the exselected, sports authorities and the Diablas participated in an official photograph of this tribute, which honors its legacy and projects its history towards future generations.

Alliance to enhance dissemination

The launch concluded with the signing a strategic alliance between Chile Hockey and Canal 13the agreement that will allow the transmission of the FIH World Cup Qualifiers Santiago 2026 and the National Tournament, bringing hockey to thousands of homes throughout the country.

With this milestone, the Hockey Federation reaffirms its commitment to the growth, visibility and international projection of discipline, giving the initial aim to a tournament that marks a new chapter in the history of national hockey.