WORLD CUP POOLS ANNOUNCED

Following the conclusion to the inaugural edition of the men’s Hockey World League competition in New Delhi, India, the FIH can now reveal the pools for this summer’s Rabobank Hockey World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands.

Pool A will consist of the 2010 World Cup champions Australia (World Ranking: 1), England (4), Belgium (5), India (8), Spain (10) and Malaysia (13), while Olympic champions Germany (2) will face hosts, the Netherlands (3), New Zealand (6), Korea (7), Argentina (11) and South Africa (12) in Pool B.

The pools for the Rabobank Hockey World Cup are based on the current FIH World Rankings, which have been updated to include the ranking points earned by the teams that competed in this month’s Hero Hockey World League Final. The results have triggered some changes to the rankings, with Australia taking back the number 1 ranking spot from Germany who have been top of the table since their Gold medal performance at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

This year’s Rabobank Hockey World Cup promises epic clashes bringing together twelve of the world’s greatest teams and players for the toughest, most skillful and entertaining international hockey imaginable. Serving as the climax of the world hockey calendar, the Hockey World Cup provides a unique chance to achieve sporting immortality in The Hague.

The women’s Pools were announced in December and can be found athttp://www.fih.ch/en/news-4889-pools-announced-for-women-s-rabobank-hockey

The announcement of the Rabobank Hockey World Cup match schedule will be made next Friday (31^stJanuary 2014) in The Hague.