FIH Junior World Ranking: 10

How they qualified: 5th Place – EuroHockey Junior Championship 2022

Junior World Cup history: 2016 – 4th, 2013 – 5th, 2009 – 13th, 2005 – 6th, 2001 – 10th, 1997 – 9th, 1993 – 7th

Having made the difficult decision to withdraw from the previous, rescheduled edition, Spain return to women’s Junior World Cup action and will be out to impress in Santiago. Their last Junior World Cup appearance also took place in the Chilean capital, where they finished in fourth position. While just missing out on the bronze medal due to a painful shoot-out loss against Australia, it was their highest ever placement in the Junior World Cup. Spain finished fifth at the EuroHockey Junior Championship 2022 in Ghent, Belgium, a position that did not reflect the quality of their performances. Having thrashed Wales 6-0 and claimed a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of hosts Belgium saw them miss out on the semi-finals, before sealing fifth position with a 6-1 triumph over Scotland and ultimately seal a ticket to Santiago 2023. The team is captained by Ana Bousquet, while Teresa Lima – who scored four goals in four games to help Spain to a second-place finish at the 2023 4 Nations Junior Women’s Invitational Tournament in Düsseldorf, Germany – could well be one to watch.