# Argentina women's national field hockey team

The Argentina women's national field hockey team (Spanish: Selección femenina de hockey sobre césped de Argentina) is governed by the Argentine Hockey Confederation (CAH). The current coach is Fernando Ferrara, who was appointed after Carlos Retegui let go in late 2021. The team is currently second in the FIH Women's World Ranking.
Las Leonas (The Lionesses) have appeared in six Hockey World Cup finals, including the first final in 1974, which they lost 1–0 to the Netherlands. Argentina had to settle with second place in two more finals before winning the tournament for the first time in 2002, beating the Netherlands 4–3 in the final on penalty strokes after a 1–1 draw. Argentina, led by eight-time FIH Player of the Year Luciana Aymar won again in 2010, a 3–1 victory over the Netherlands. Argentina's World Cup-winning coaches are Sergio Vigil in 2002 and Carlos Retegui in 2010.
Argentina has been very successful at the Summer Olympics, winning four consecutive medals (two silver, two bronze) since the 2000 edition, when they became the first women's team in any sport to win an Olympic medal for their country. Luciana Aymar is the only player that has participated and won those four medals. Also, after their first title in 2001 at a Hockey Champions Trophy, they have won the tournament six more times. In front of a home crowd, they won the 2014–15 Hockey World League as the first international title after Aymar's retirement from the national team the previous year.
At a continental level, Argentina has dominated and won every tournament they played, including the Pan American Cup and the Pan American Games leaving the United States with second place on most events until they lost the 2011 Pan American Games final for the first time.
In July 2003, after the implementation of an official World Ranking System, Argentina reached the top of the FIH Women's World Ranking for the first time, reaching it again in 2010 after obtaining the World Cup title and once more in late 2013.

## History

Hockey was introduced in Argentina by English immigrants at the beginning of the 20th century, and the first women's teams were officially formed in 1909. In 1997, Sergio Vigil, a former player for the men's national team, was appointed coach. Under his leadership, Las Leonas achieved their first World Hockey Cup title, their first Olympic medals, their first Champions Trophy medals, and many other achievements. The team went from having a rather limited audience to becoming a national sensation, with some of the players even appearing as models in advertising campaigns.

### Nickname

Throughout its history, the team has developed a reputation for being tenacious even when a match appears to be lost. For this reason, a lioness was chosen as their symbol when the team qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics. During the second round of games, Argentina played against the powerful Dutch team, and they chose this occasion to place the image of a lioness on their shirts for the first time.
The image was designed by then-player Inés Arrondo together with Vigil's sister-in-law. Argentina won that match, went on to win the silver medal, and Las Leonas were born. Subsequently, the junior (under 21) team is called Las Leoncitas ("the baby lionesses" or "the lioness cubs").
The lioness logo was redesigned in 2006 by the team kit supplier, Adidas, along with Confederación Argentina de Hockey and even some of the most representative players. This is slightly different from the original, showing the lioness' tail pretending to be a hockey stick while holding a ball.
The nickname also falls in line with an unwritten Argentine tradition of naming national teams after big cats: the men's field hockey team is called Los Leones ("The Lions"), the men's rugby union team is called Los Pumas ("The Pumas"), and the women's volleyball team is known as Las Panteras ("The Panthers").

## Tournament records

World Cup :
| Year | Host city | Position |
| 1974 | Mandelieu, France | 2nd |
| 1976 | Berlin, West Germany | 2nd |
| 1978 | Madrid, Spain | 3rd |
| 1981 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 6th |
| 1983 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 9th |
| 1986 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 7th |
| 1990 | Sydney, Australia | 9th |
| 1994 | Dublin, Ireland | 2nd |
| 1998 | Utrecht, Netherlands | 4th |
| 2002 | Perth, Australia | 1st |
| 2006 | Madrid, Spain | 3rd |
| 2010 | Rosario, Argentina | 1st |
| 2014 | The Hague, Netherlands | 3rd |
| 2018 | London, England | 7th |
| 2022 | Terrassa, Spain Amstelveen, Netherlands | 2nd |
| 2026 | Wavre, Belgium Amstelveen, Netherlands | TBQ |
Pan American Cup :
| Year | Host city | Position |
| 2001 | Kingston, Jamaica | 1st |
| 2004 | Bridgetown, Barbados | 1st |
| 2009 | Hamilton, Bermuda | 1st |
| 2013 | Mendoza, Argentina | 1st |
| 2017 | Lancaster, United States | 1st |
| 2022 | Santiago, Chile | 1st |
| 2025 | Montevideo, Uruguay | TBQ |
South American Championship :
| Year | Host city | Position |
| 2003 | Santiago, Chile | 1st |
| 2008 | Montevideo, Uruguay | 1st |
| 2010 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 1st |
| 2013 | Santiago, Chile | 1st |
Olympic Games :
| Year | Host city | Position |
| 1980 | Moscow, Soviet Union | N/A |
| 1988 | Seoul, South Korea | 7th |
| 1996 | Atlanta, United States | 7th |
| 2000 | Sydney, Australia | 2nd |
| 2004 | Athens, Greece | 3rd |
| 2008 | Beijing, China | 3rd |
| 2012 | London, United Kingdom | 2nd |
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 7th |
| 2020 | Tokyo, Japan | 2nd |
| 2024 | Paris, France | 3rd |
Pan American Games :
| Year | Host city | Position |
| 1987 | Indianapolis, United States | 1st |
| 1991 | Havana, Cuba | 1st |
| 1995 | Mar del Plata, Argentina | 1st |
| 1999 | Winnipeg, Canada | 1st |
| 2003 | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | 1st |
| 2007 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 1st |
| 2011 | Guadalajara, Mexico | 2nd |
| 2015 | Toronto, Canada | 2nd |
| 2019 | Lima, Peru | 1st |
| 2023 | Santiago, Chile | 1st |
South American Games :
| Year | Host city | Position |
| 2006 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 1st |
| 2014 | Santiago, Chile | 1st |
| 2018 | Cochabamba, Bolivia | 1st |
| 2022 | Asunción, Paraguay | 2nd |
Pro League :
| Year | Final host city | Position |
| 2019 | Amstelveen, Netherlands | 4th |
| 2020–21 | N/A | 2nd |
| 2021–22 | N/A | 1st |
| 2022–23 | N/A | 2nd |
| 2023–24 | N/A | 3rd |
| 2024–25 | N/A | Qualified |
World League :
| Year | Final host city | Position |
| 2012–13 | San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina | 4th |
| 2014–15 | Rosario, Argentina | 1st |
| 2016–17 | Auckland, New Zealand | 5th |
Champions Trophy :
| Year | Host city | Position |
| 1995 | Mar del Plata, Argentina | 6th |
| 1999 | Brisbane, Australia | 4th |
| 2000 | Amstelveen, Netherlands | 4th |
| 2001 | Amstelveen, Netherlands | 1st |
| 2002 | Macau, China | 2nd |
| 2003 | Sydney, Australia | 4th |
| 2004 | Rosario, Argentina | 3rd |
| 2005 | Canberra, Australia | 4th |
| 2006 | Amstelveen, Netherlands | 4th |
| 2007 | Quilmes, Argentina | 2nd |
| 2008 | Mönchengladbach, Germany | 1st |
| 2009 | Sydney, Australia | 1st |
| 2010 | Nottingham, England | 1st |
| 2011 | Amstelveen, Netherlands | 2nd |
| 2012 | Rosario, Argentina | 1st |
| 2014 | Mendoza, Argentina | 1st |
| 2016 | London, United Kingdom | 1st |
| 2018 | Changzhou, China | 3rd |

## Players
### Current squad

The following players were called to play at the Pro League window between February 19th and 23rd against Belgium and Australia in Santiago del Estero, Argentina.
Players, caps and goals updated as of 23 February 2025.
Head coach: Fernando Ferrara
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
| 13 | 1GK | Cristina Cosentino | (1997-12-22) 22 December 1997 (age 27) | 55 | | Royal Victory HC |
| 40 | 1GK | Mercedes Artola | (2006-01-16) 16 January 2006 (age 19) | 1 | | St. Matthew's College |
| 2 | 2DF | Sofía Toccalino | (1997-03-20) 20 March 1997 (age 27) | 187 | 19 | Real Sociedad |
| 3 | 2DF | Agustina Gorzelany | (1996-03-11) 11 March 1996 (age 28) | 132 | 82 | AH&BC |
| 4 | 2DF | Valentina Raposo | (2003-01-28) 28 January 2003 (age 22) | 67 | 9 | Gazellen-Combinatie |
| 32 | 2DF | Valentina Costa Biondi | (1995-09-13) 13 September 1995 (age 29) | 93 | 9 | THC Hurley |
| 38 | 2DF | Chiara Ambrosini | (2006-11-02) 2 November 2006 (age 18) | 5 | 0 | Ferro |
| 44 | 2DF | Sol Lombardo | (1999-03-10) 10 March 1999 (age 25) | 17 | 0 | Herakles |
| 5 | 3MF | Agostina Alonso | (1995-10-01) 1 October 1995 (age 29) | 173 | 7 | Banco Nación |
| 18 | 3MF | Victoria Sauze | (1991-07-21) 21 July 1991 (age 33) | 158 | 7 | Atletic Terrassa |
| 22 | 3MF | Eugenia Trinchinetti | (1997-07-17) 17 July 1997 (age 27) | 195 | 51 | San Fernando |
| 25 | 3MF | Juana Castellaro | (2005-03-29) 29 March 2005 (age 19) | 37 | 1 | River Plate |
| 29 | 3MF | Victoria Miranda | (2000-06-05) 5 June 2000 (age 24) | 27 | 1 | Ciudad |
| 36 | 3MF | Stefanía Antoniazzi | (1999-10-18) 18 October 1999 (age 25) | 12 | 1 | RC Polo Barcelona |
| 47 | 3MF | Julieta Arcidiácono | (2001-04-06) 6 April 2001 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | Banco Provincia |
| 51 | 3MF | Paula Ortiz | (1997-04-16) 16 April 1997 (age 27) | 88 | 14 | RC Polo Barcelona |
| 7 | 4FW | Agustina Albertario | (1993-01-01) 1 January 1993 (age 32) | 238 | 117 | Biguá |
| 10 | 4FW | María José Granatto | (1995-04-21) 21 April 1995 (age 29) | 226 | 143 | Junior 1917 |
| 21 | 4FW | Victoria Granatto | (1991-04-09) 9 April 1991 (age 33) | 55 | 16 | Junior 1917 |
| 23 | 4FW | Lara Casas | (2004-06-22) 22 June 2004 (age 20) | 19 | 2 | Italiano |
| 28 | 4FW | Julieta Jankunas | (1999-01-20) 20 January 1999 (age 26) | 185 | 114 | Club Egara |
| 33 | 4FW | Zoe Díaz | (2006-06-05) 5 June 2006 (age 18) | 21 | 3 | Italiano |
| 46 | 4FW | Lourdes Pisthón | (2007-12-27) 27 December 2007 (age 17) | 5 | 0 | Banco Nación |
| 60 | 4FW | Brisa Bruggesser | (2002-07-25) 25 July 2002 (age 22) | 6 | 4 | Ciudad |

### Recent call-ups

These players were called up in the last 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
| GK | Clara Barberi | (1992-04-19) 19 April 1992 (age 32) | 30 | | Lomas | (2024-06-02)2 June 2024, v. China |
| GK | Ana Luz Dodorico | (2000-01-06) 6 January 2000 (age 25) | 4 | | GEBA | 2024 United States friendly matches serie |
| DF | Sofía Cairó | (2002-10-08) 8 October 2002 (age 22) | 39 | 4 | Mariano Moreno | (2024-12-15)15 December 2024, v. Netherlands |
| DF | Valentina Ferola | (2003-09-24) 24 September 2003 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | Italiano | (2024-12-13)13 December 2024, v. Germany |
| DF | Emma Knobl | (2005-10-27) 27 October 2005 (age 19) | 1 | 0 | Lomas | (2024-12-12)12 December 2024, v. Netherlands |
| MF | Rocío Sánchez Moccia | (1988-08-02) 2 August 1988 (age 36) | 328 | 21 | Puerto Nizuc | (2024-08-09)9 August 2024, v. Belgium |
| MF | Pilar Campoy | (1990-10-06) 6 October 1990 (age 34) | 107 | 24 | Hacoaj | (2024-08-09)9 August 2024, v. Belgium |
| MF | Valentina Marcucci | (1998-02-21) 21 February 1998 (age 27) | 35 | 0 | Lomas | (2024-12-15)15 December 2024, v. Netherlands |
| MF | Catalina Andrade | (2002-02-07) 7 February 2002 (age 23) | 18 | 3 | Italiano | (2024-12-13)13 December 2024, v. Germany |
| MF | Victoria Falasco | (2004-04-01) 1 April 2004 (age 20) | 2 | 0 | GEBA | (2024-12-15)15 December 2024, v. Netherlands |
| FW | Delfina Thome | (1996-09-10) 10 September 1996 (age 28) | 61 | 18 | Flottbeck | (2024-06-02)2 June 2024, v. China |
| FW | Celina di Santo | (2000-02-23) 23 February 2000 (age 25) | 26 | 3 | KMTHC Mechelen | (2024-05-26)26 May 2024, v. India |
| FW | Victoria Manuele | (2001-05-04) 4 May 2001 (age 23) | 9 | 1 | KMTHC Mechelen | (2024-06-01)1 June 2024, v. Australia |
| FW | Carolina Carrizo | (1997-03-10) 10 March 1997 (age 27) | 2 | 0 | SAG | 2024 United States friendly matches serie |
| FW | Emilia Larsen | (2002-04-12) 12 April 2002 (age 22) | 2 | 1 | Club Atlético Monte Hermoso | (2024-12-13)13 December 2024, v. Germany |
| FW | Paula Santamarina | (2002-08-27) 27 August 2002 (age 22) | 2 | 0 | River Plate | (2024-12-15)15 December 2024, v. Netherlands |
| FW | Catalina Alimenti | (2002-12-30) 30 December 2002 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | GEBA | (2024-12-10)10 December 2024, v. Germany |

### Past players

* Gabriela Aguirre (2006–2016)
* Magdalena Aicega (1993–2008)
* Laura Aladro (2005–2016)
* Mariela Antoniska (1998–2006)
* Inés Arrondo (1999–2009)
* Luciana Aymar (1998–2014)
* Noel Barrionuevo (2006–2021)
* Moira Brinnand (1988)
* Claudia Burkart (2001–2015)
* Victoria Carbó (1983–1991)
* Julieta Castellán (1994–1996)
* María Castelli (1991–1996)
* Martina Cavallero (2012–2018)
* Jimena Cedrés (2013–2023)
* Laura del Colle (2012)
* María Colombo (1983–1988)
* Silvia Corvalán (1995–1999)
* Silvina D'Elía (2003–2021)
* Marina di Giacomo (2003–2004)
* Natalí Doreski (2001–2005)
* Carla Dupuy (2009–2016)
* Magdalena Fernández Ladra (2017–2023)
* Milagros Fernández Ladra (2017–2023)
* María Paz Ferrari (1994–2004)
* Andrea Fioroni (1988)
* Emilia Forcherio (2020–2023)
* Julieta Franco (2012)
* Anabel Gambero (1991–2002)
* Soledad García (1999–2011)
* Julia Gomes Fantasia (2013–2018)
* Mariana González Oliva (1996–2008)
* Alejandra Gulla (1998–2010)
* Agustina Habif (2014–2019)
* Florencia Habif (2011–2019)
* María de la Paz Hernández (1999–2008)
* Marcela Hussey (1988)
* Priscila Jardel (2017–2020)
* Giselle Juárez (2013–2017)
* Giselle Kañevsky (2006–2020)
* Gabriela Liz (1983–1998)
* Marisa López (1983–1995)
* Rosario Luchetti (2005–2020)
* Sofía Maccari (2011–2021)
* Sofía MacKenzie (1991–1996)
* Laura Maiztegui (2000–2002)
* Mercedes Margalot (1998–2012)
* Karina Masotta (1991–2002)
* Delfina Merino (2009–2022)
* Laura Mulhall (1983–1998)
* Florencia Mutio (2012–2019)
* Vanina Oneto (1991–2004)
* Alejandra Palma (1988)
* Gabriela Pando (1994–1998)
* María Gabriela Pazos (1988–1991)
* Carla Rebecchi (2004–2021)
* Marcela Richezza (1988–1991)
* Jorgelina Rimoldi (1994–2001)
* Micaela Retegui (2019–2022)
* Macarena Rodríguez (2005–2025)
* Cecilia Rognoni (1996–2010)
* Pilar Romang (2013–2016)
* Mariana Rossi (2008–2013)
* Mariné Russo (2001–2010)
* Gabriela Sánchez (1988–1996)
* Rocío Sánchez Moccia (2009-2024)
* Mariela Scarone (2009–2025)
* Daniela Sruoga (2009–2014)
* Josefina Sruoga (2009–2015)
* Ayelén Stepnik (1996–2008)
* Belén Succi (2006–2022)
* María Alejandra Tucat (1983–1988)
* Lucina von der Heyde (2015–2023)
* Paola Vukojicic (1999–2008)
* Victoria Zuloaga (2009–2019)

### Not in use jersey numbers

When Luciana Aymar (eight-time FIH Player of the Year Award winner and regarded as the best player in the history of the sport), retired from the national team in 2014 after 376 international matches played, some of Aymar's teammates (such as Carla Rebecchi) asked the Confederation for the retirement of her iconic number 8 worn by her during 17 years with the national team. Nevertheless, the number is not officially retired by the CAH, although it has not been assigned to other players since.

### Captains

| Period | Captain | Vice-captain |
| 1997–2002 | Karina Masotta | Magdalena Aicega |
| 2003–2005 | Magdalena Aicega | Cecilia Rognoni |
| 2006–2008 | Magdalena Aicega | Luciana Aymar |
| 2009–2014 | Luciana Aymar | Rosario Luchetti |
| 2014–2015 | Macarena Rodríguez | Carla Rebecchi |
| 2015–2017 | Carla Rebecchi | Belén Succi |
| 2017–2019 | Belén Succi | Delfina Merino |
| 2019–2020 | Rosario Luchetti | Silvina D'Elía Carla Rebecchi |
| 2021 | Noel Barrionuevo | Delfina Merino |
| 2022 | Agostina Alonso Delfina Merino Rocío Sánchez Moccia Victoria Sauze | Agostina Alonso Delfina Merino Rocío Sánchez Moccia Victoria Sauze |
| 2023–2024 | Agostina Alonso María José Granatto Rocío Sánchez Moccia Victoria Sauze | Agostina Alonso María José Granatto Rocío Sánchez Moccia Victoria Sauze |
| 2024-Present | Agostina Alonso María José Granatto | Agostina Alonso María José Granatto |

## Coaches

| Period | Name |
| 1986–1991 | Miguel MacCormik |
| 1991–1997 | Rodolfo Mendoza |
| 1997–2004 | Sergio Vigil |
| 2004–2009 | Gabriel Minadeo |
| 2009–2012 | Carlos Retegui |
| 2012–2013 | Marcelo Garraffo |
| 2013 | Emanuel Roggero |
| 2013–2014 | Carlos Retegui (2nd cycle) |
| 2014–2015 | Santiago Capurro |
| 2015–2017 | Gabriel Minadeo (2nd cycle) |
| 2017–2018 | Agustín Corradini |
| 2018–2021 | Carlos Retegui (3rd cycle) |
| 2021–present | Fernando Ferrara |

## Honours

Since its breakthrough in the 2000 Summer Olympics (where the team nicknamed "Las Leonas"' for the first time), Argentina has won more than 20 official titles, which are detailed below:
* Summer Olympics:
** Silver medal (3): Sydney 2000, London 2012, Tokyo 2020
** Bronze medal (3): Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, Paris 2024
* World Cup (2): 2002, 2010
* FIH Pro League (1): 2021–22
* FIH Hockey World League (1): 2014–15
* Champions Trophy (7): 2001, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016
* Pan American Cup (6): 2001, 2004, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2022
* Pan American Games (8): 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2019, 2023
* South American Championship (4): 2003, 2008, 2010, 2013
* South American Games (3): 2006, 2014, 2018

## Gallery

* Mariné Russo in a match against Australia in 2005
* Mercedes Margalot in a match against Nederlands in 2005
* Celebrating their win after the 2010 Champions Trophy final.
* The 2010 World Champion squad
* Champions Trophy winners in 2016