One Month to Go: Countdown Begins for FIH Hockey Pro League 2024/25

The excitement is building across the global hockey community as we edge ever closer to the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024/25, with the new season starting off in exactly one month, on 30 November! The fans, teams, and coaches are gearing up for what promises to be another thrilling season of the “League of the Best.”

The Pro League, renowned for its intense, high-quality competition, returns to deliver a showcase of world-class hockey, featuring the top national teams in both men’s and women’s divisions. And as was the case for the last season, the winners of the 2024/25 season, women and men, will get no less than a direct qualification for the FIH Hockey World Cup Netherlands-Belgium 2026!

A New Format to Elevate Fan Experience

After a couple of seasons where only some teams hosted matches, all participating teams* will host matches this time, therefore promoting one of the original principles of the creation of Pro League – ie, connecting teams and athletes with their own fans by playing home matches.

Furthermore, the match schedule has been defined in such a way that each team will play half of their matches in December/February and the other half in June. This will make the League far easier to follow, especially for all hockey fans around the world.

Teams to Watch

The Dutch women continue to be the most dominant force in international hockey, as they come into the new season, not only as the defending champions, but following their gold medal at Paris 2024, also as the holders of all major international trophies in women’s hockey! The chasing pack will include Alyson Annan’s impressive Chinese team, who came within a few minutes of dethroning the Dutch at the gold medal match in the Olympics. Argentina who won bronze in Paris, and are the only team other than the Dutch to win the women’s Pro League (2021-22) are guaranteed to be among the challengers, along with Belgium and Germany who have steadily improved with each passing game over the past couple of years.

Things remain incredibly tight among the men’s teams, with Australia coming in as defending champions from the last season. Chasing them down will be the likes of Netherlands, Germany and India who finished as the gold, silver and bronze medalists, respectively, at Paris 2024. The likes of Argentina, Spain, Great Britain and Belgium also excelled in moments at the Olympics despite missing out on a medal and their threat will once again make the men’s competition in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024/25 season incredibly difficult to predict.

Rising Teams and New Faces

In terms of the promoted teams, the winners of the Women’s FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2024, Spain, will rejoin the Pro League, after a first spell in the 2021-22 season, where the RedSticks finished 5th. They’re replacing the USA, who’ve been relegated.

On the men’s side, New Zealand, despite winning the last edition of the Nations Cup, have decided not to join this time. France, runners-up of that same Nations Cup, have made the same decision. Consequently, Ireland, who finished in the last spot during their FIH Hockey Pro League debut in the 2023/24 season will not be relegated and will play their second consecutive Pro League season. Ireland, who started to show real signs of progress towards the end of the previous season, particularly with two hugely impressive wins over Belgium, will be a tough matchup for all the other teams, and the Green Machine will hope to improve on their league standing from last season to stave off the relegation threat altogether this time.

The 2024/25 season will undoubtedly see the emergence of new talents and thrilling storylines, as the best players from around the world take center stage. Expect to see breakout performances and new names making their mark, particularly as teams start building for the future after the end of the Paris 2024 Olympic cycle.

Get Ready for the Best of Hockey

As the countdown to the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024/25 hits the one-month mark, anticipation continues to build for another season of exhilarating matches, skillful displays, and unforgettable moments. The stage is set for the world’s best teams to face off in a league that celebrates the essence of competition at the highest level of hockey!

Mark your calendars for 30 November 2024—the start of the League of the Best. Whether you’re watching from the stands or tuning in from home, this Pro League season is not to be missed.

FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 stages: