Rising talent from 13 countries will be looking to make their mark at the girls EuroHockey 5s U16 Championship with Alanya and Kutaisi playing host.
At the former venue, Türkiye welcomes the top tier competition with eight teams in contention for the title of the short-format of the sport with Georgia the home for Championship II.
EuroHockey 5s U16 Championship Girls 2026 (Alanya, Türkiye) – April 1st to 4th
Pool A: Austria, Denmark, Poland, Türkiye
Pool B: Croatia, Georgia, Switzerland, Ukraine
** Click here to follow the live scores from the tournament
Pool A features Austria, Denmark, Poland and hosts Türkiye (pictured above), while Pool B sees Croatia, Georgia, Switzerland and Ukraine battle for places in the knockout stages.
The format sees an initial round-robin group which will determine who plays who in Thursday afternoon’s quarter-finals where all teams will be hoping for a place in Friday’s semi-finals and, ultimately, a medal match on Saturday.
In Pool A, Türkiye are the hosts and looking to build on their fifth place finish in 2024 and are enthusiastic about the challenge ahead after five camps together, building a “happy team”.
Şehriban Sezer and Begüm Yildirim are back for their second campaign at this level and also played in Glasgow at Under-18 level; four of the panel play in the Turkish Superliga.
Yıldırım says of the week ahead: “I had the chance to play in the 2024 U16 Eurohockey5s Championship in Zagreb, and now I’m so happy and proud to be back with this team.
“We’ve worked incredibly hard, had some great times together, and now we are down to the final stretch. Representing our country means the world to my teammates and me.”
“There’s only one goal left now; finishing on the podium. I truly believe in myself and this team.
Good luck to all the teams in the tournament! It’s going to be an amazing event, and we can’t wait to show everyone great Turkish hospitality.”
Coach Varol Vardar adds: “My greatest hope is that this tournament becomes a true celebration of camaraderie, where young athletes can connect, inspire one another, and forge lifelong friendships.
Like every team here, we have put in immense effort and achieved wonderful milestones during our preparations. However, throughout this journey, my ultimate motto has always been simple: to build a happy team.
** Reigning champions Poland
“While we naturally strive for success, we remain mindful of the true essence of sport—some will walk away with great results, but all of us will walk away with invaluable new lessons.”
Among the other teams with them in Pool A, Poland arrive as the defending champions after claiming gold in Zagreb in 2024, adding to their title success in 2019 and runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2022. Kim Górski links this year’s team to the 2024 success.
Denmark is making its debut in this form of competition following a period without international hockey for girls at this age level.
They are proud to return with an exciting and talented young squad who trained hard through spring across several training camps and friendly matches as part of their preparations.
The focus has been on developing both individual skills and team chemistry ahead of this important milestone.
It will be a first taste of international for all players; the squad is led by head coach Emilie Eriksen and assistant coach Kristina Hjort.
** Denmark
Both coaches bring valuable experience from their own playing careers and are now embarking on their coaching journey, eager to guide the next generation of Danish players.
Austria consists of 80% players from the traditional Viennese clubs WAC and Post SV, sides who also dominated the Austrian Hockey5s Championship in mid-May.
They are joined by a goalkeeper from Graz while another player is from London who has roots in Klagenfurt.
The team has been in intensive training since Easter. In addition to a tournament in Ludwigshafen, where they played very well against a strong Spanish team, they played two friendlies against Croatia.
A trio of players were in Alanya already this year with WAC in the Club Trophy II in May and they are excited to bring that experience into this panel.
In short: The girls from Team Austria are really looking forward to a great, fair and successful tournament in Türkiye.
** Austria
In Pool B, Ukraine bring a talented generation athletes who have dedicated themselves to hockey from a young age. Almost 90% of the team members represent the city of Sumy, a border city of Ukraine that, despite the challenges of today, continues to raise strong, purposeful and dedicated female athletes.
As the team has been together since childhood, the team has a special cohesion, close friends who support each other both on and off the field.
“We play with our hearts for Ukraine, and our strength lies in unity, friendship and love for hockey,” says head coach Olena Svistyur.
** Ukraine
Switzerland have a number of players who have already represented their country in prior games but it will be a first tournament for all bar Mia Schönauer who played in the Under-18 championship in Glasgow last year.
The side have been working together since August and have been going for sessions most week since the end of the winter break across their country along with an Easter tournament in Germany.
A quote they heed from their coaches and really take to heart is: “It’s okay to make mistakes, just keep going.
“It is reassuring for us to know that mistakes are part of the process, as long as we keep fighting and continue together as a team.”
** Switzerland
Georgia are making their fourth consecutive appearance in this competition following an 11th place in 2019 and eighth in both 2022 and 2024. The side is captained by Mariam Kheladze and she will be joined by Mariami Makalatia and Kristine Gulbiani who played two years ago.
Croatia were sixth in the last two editions and they also have links to last time around, goalkeeper Lorena Džajkić and Kaja Lončar included in their wider training panel.
EuroHockey 5s U16 Championship II Girls 2026 (Kutaisi, Georgia) – April 1st to 4th
Pool A: Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Russia, Slovakia
** Click here to follow the live scores from the tournament
Kutaisi awaits Championship II with first appearances on the U16 Hockey 5s scene for Armenia, Slovakia and Bulgaria in a five-team competition along with Russia and Belarus.
They will all play in an initial round-robin group from which the top two go through to the final while third and fourth will play in the third place playoff.
Armenia will make its debut in the girls’ event, a milestone that reflects the continuing growth of hockey within the country.
“The Armenian girls’ national team is going to participate in the Women’s EuroHockey U16 Hockey5s Championship for the first time. We believe this is a great sign for the development of women’s hockey in Armenia.”
Russia and Belarus returning to youth international hockey following the recent IOC decision permitting their participation in age-group competitions.
** Armenia
