Lausanne (Switzerland), Feb 2: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has on Tuesday launched the bidding process for hosting the FIH Hockey men's and women's World Cups which will be played in 2026.

The prestigious event, the top competition in men's and women's hockey besides the Olympic Games and played every four years, involves sixteen teams amongst the best ones in the world.

The deadline for submitting the bids is May 31, 2022. The hosts will be decided by the Executive Board on November 3 and announced at the FIH Congress which will be held virtually on November 4-5 this year, the FIH said in a release.

FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: "The FIH Hockey World Cup, for Men like for Women, means a lot to the global hockey community, in particular athletes and fans. Therefore, we're looking forward to receiving numerous bids to host these prestigious events, which will capture the attention of all hockey fans around the world and where legends will be made!"

The next FIH Hockey women's World Cup will be played in July this year in Spain and the Netherlands, whilst the next FIH Hockey men's World Cup will take place in January 2023 in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.

The last World Cup for men was also held in India in Bhubaneswar in 2018 and was won by Belgium. The last edition of the women's World Cup was held in 2018 in London with the Netherlands winning the title.