FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar – Rourkela: draw scheduled on 8 September

1 September 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is pleased to announce that the draw ceremony to determine the pools of the upcoming FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar – Rourkela will be held on 8 September, at 12 noon IST/ 08h30 CEST, at the Convention Centre, Lok Sewa Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. It will be streamed live on Watch.Hockey. The pinnacle of the FIH men’s tournaments will be held from 13 to 29 January 2023 and involve 16 participating national teams. Those include India, as the hosts of the competition, whilst Malaysia, Japan and Korea are the other Asian teams. Africa is represented by South Africa, recent winners of the Africa Cup of Nations. From Europe, the following teams have qualified: Belgium, England, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, France and Wales. Argentina and Chile are the two American teams having booked their ticket for the prestigious tournament, while Australia and New Zealand, from Oceania, complete the draw. The draw will be conducted by FIH CEO Thierry Weil, with the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik also in attendance. The four top teams which include host India, Australia, Belgium and Netherlands will be placed on the first row of their corresponding Pools based on the FIH World Rankings as per 1 June 2022. The draw will start with Row 4 of each Pool, involving the following teams: South Africa, Wales, Japan and Chile. It will then continue with Row 3 of each Pool (involving Spain, Malaysia, France and Korea) and conclude with Row 2 of each Pool (with Germany, England, Argentina and New Zealand). The Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar and the brand-new Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela will host the matches, in the state of Odisha, India. In the previous edition, in 2018, Belgium claimed the title by winning the final against Netherlands, while Australia wrapped up the podium places, finishing third. For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please download the Watch.Hockey app or follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and website. #HWC2023 #HockeyInvites #HockeyEquals

13th African Games - Accra 2023

North-West African Qualifiers for AAG 2023 Cancelled

Due to the late withdrawal of Sierra Leone Men’s Team, this tournament was cancelled by the AfHF. Ghana 🇬🇭 (Men) & Nigeria 🇳🇬 (Men) are automatically qualified for the AAG 2023 in Accra, Ghana.

FIH Hockey Pro League 2022-2023: Venues and timings confirmed!

23 August 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the FIH Hockey Pro League participating nations are glad to confirm as below the venues that will be used for the fourth season of FIH’s global league for national teams – ‘Hockey at its Best’ – which will run from 28 October 2022 to 5 July 2023: Australia: Newcastle, Hobart Argentina: Mendoza, Santiago del Estero Belgium: Antwerp England: London India: Bhubaneswar, Rourkela Netherlands: Eindhoven, Amsterdam New Zealand: Christchurch, Wellington As already announced in March, a new schedule – based on a series of “mini-tournaments” where several teams will gather in one venue to play two matches against each other – will come into force for this new Pro League season. This format will have a major positive impact on players’ welfare and the environment, thanks to a substantial reduction in the amount of travel needed for each team and the officials. Another great advantage of this revised format is that it increases the number of dates available for athletes to compete in their domestic leagues and club competitions. Furthermore, this season will see the implementation of a promotion-relegation principle for the very first time, with the team finishing last being relegated, while the team winning the 2022 FIH Hockey Nations Cup – a new event – being promoted for the 2023-2024 Pro League season. FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “The integration of the promotion-relegation principle will substantially add to the excitement around Pro League. Also, the new format is beneficial to everyone, athletes, National Associations, clubs and fans in particular. We’re glad to welcome some new venues for this season; this is great for the growth of our sport! We’re very much looking forward to the fourth edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League!” The FIH Hockey Pro League 2022-2023 match schedule, including the match timings, is available here. #FIHProLeague #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please download the Watch.Hockey app or follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and website.