The 16th edition of the FIH Hockey World Cup will kick off this weekend in Belgium and the Netherlands. Running from August 15 to 30, the quadrennial tournament will be jointly hosted by the two nations across two venues — the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium, and the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, the Netherlands.
Here is everything you need to know about the tournament.
Pool A: Argentina, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand.
Pool B: Belgium, France, Germany, Malaysia.
Pool C: Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa.
Pool A: Australia, Chile, Japan, Netherlands.
Pool B: Argentina, Germany, Scotland, United States.
Pool C: Belgium, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand.
Pool D: China, England, India, South Africa.
The World Cup is split into three separate stages.
The sixteen teams will be split into four pools (A, B, C, D) of four teams each. They will play three matches each in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each pool will qualify for the second pool stage; the bottom two teams will move to the new “classification stage”.
The traditional quarterfinals have been replaced by a second, crossover pool stage. The top two teams from pools A, B, C and D will be sorted into two new pools (E and F) of four teams each.
The two qualifiers from a Phase 1 pool will play two additional matches against the two teams from a different Phase 1 pool. Importantly, teams from the same Phase 1 pool will not play against each other in Phase 2. However, the points and results from their Phase 1 match will carry over to the Phase 2 standings. The top two teams from pools E and F will qualify for the semifinals.
The eliminated teams from A, B, C and D will be sorted into two new pools (G and H). They will compete for ranks 9th-16th by playing three additional matches in a round-robin format.
The competition will assume a traditional knockout format. The four teams will play in the semifinals; the winners will play the Final for gold, while the defeated semifinalists will contest the bronze medal match.
Both the men’s and women’s teams have been drawn in Pool D of their respective competitions.
The women’s team will face China on August 16, then South Africa on August 18 and England on August 20.
The men’s team will open their campaign against Wales on August 15, face England the very next day on August 16, before a blockbuster clash with long-time rivals Pakistan on August 19.
August 17. India vs England (6:30 PM IST)
August 19. India vs Pakistan (6:30 PM IST)
August 18. India vs South Africa (6:30 PM IST)
August 20. India vs England (6:30 PM IST)
All matches will be broadcast in India on Star Sports and streamed on JioHotstar. Globally, matches are available on Watch Hockey, subject to regional broadcast restrictions.
