Tomás Domene, the Argentine forward on fire at the mens field hockey 2026 World Cup

Updated August 28, 5.30 p.m. Argentina’s men’s national field hockey team lost in the 2026 World Cup semifinals to Germany 2-1 on Friday. Despite the loss, the result is a step forward for Los Leones, as the team is affectionately known, as it marked their return to the final four for the first time since 2014. The team will now play for the bronze medal and try to repeat the feat from 12 years ago, when they defeated England. A big part of their hopes rest on striker Tomás Domene. The 28-year-old forward has been one of Argentina’s biggest stars in the tournament. His two strikes in the Leones 5-3 win over India took his goalscoring tally to eight.  His performance saw him overtake India’s Harmanpreet Singh and South Africa’s Mustaphaa Cassiem as the tournament’s leading goalscorer.  He also became the third player in Leones history to score 100 goals with the national team. It’s a feat previously only achieved by all-time Argentina top goalscorer Jorge Lombi and former player Gonzalo Peillat, who now represents Germany. A brilliant career Born in Córdoba on September 4, 1997, Domene broke through at Jockey Club Córdoba. With his childhood club, he was an Argentina National League finalist in 2013 — where they lost to Chilean invitees Manquehue —  and then lifted the title one year later.  He was also part of the Córdoba Province under-21 team that won the 2016 Argentine National Championship. In 2017, he moved to Belgium, first playing with Royal Orée in Brussels, where he spent seven seasons before joining Waterloo Ducks in 2024.  “It helped me grow a lot as a player and as a person,” he said of the move in 2018, adding it gave him “a different perspective on hockey” and that it helped him to keep progressing. “What surprises me most about the country is the courtesy, the respect, the order,” he added. “It’s a different culture.” Domene admitted that he struggled to adapt at first, but that finding a team with players from all parts of the world helped him. “The Irish guy taught me English,” he said of settling abroad. Domene’s connection with the Leones also goes way back.  He made his debut for the junior national team at the Pan American Junior Championship in Toronto, Canada, where he scored 16 goals to help Argentina win gold. Domene debuted for the senior national team in 2018 against Malaysia and has been a key part of head coach Lucas Rey’s team since Rey’s arrival in 2024, finishing as the top scorer in the FIH Pro League 2025/26. “I think a forward kind of lives for goals,” he explained after his hat trick against England. However, Domene also understands the importance of helping his team even when he’s not scoring. “I always emphasize that when goals aren’t coming, the most important thing is helping the side—whether that’s by making runs, blocking, or however you can,” he added. “If I can help by scoring, then all the better.”