Qualification
Each of the continental champions from five confederations and the host nation received an automatic berth. The European confederation received one extra quota based upon the FIH World Rankings. Alongside with the five teams qualifying through the Qualifier, twelve teams competed in this tournament.
| Dates | Event | Location | Qualifier(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation | Spain | ||
| 1–8 February 2004 | 2004 Hockey Asia Cup | New Delhi, India | India |
| 21–28 April 2004 | 2004 Pan American Cup | Bridgetown, Barbados | Argentina |
| 14–20 August 2005 | 2005 EuroHockey Nations Championship | Dublin, Ireland | Netherlands Germany |
| 2–8 October 2005 | 2005 Hockey African Cup for Nations | Pretoria, South Africa | South Africa |
| 29 October – 5 November 2005 | 2005 Oceania Cup | Auckland, New Zealand Sydney, Australia |
Australia |
| 25 April – 6 May 2006 | Qualifier | Rome, Italy | England Korea United States Japan China |
Read more about this topic: 2006 Women's Hockey World Cup