Nickname: La Roja

How they qualified: 2nd Place – 2022 Men’s Pan American Cup

Notable honours: Pan American Cup silver medallists (2022), Pan American Cup bronze medallists (2004), 4x Pan American Games bronze medallists (1983, 2007, 2011, 2015), 4x South American Games silver medallists (2006, 2014, 2018, 2022), South American Championships gold medallists (2016).

Rank in previous WC editions: Debutants

On 28 January 2022, Chile secured qualification for the FIH Men’s World Cup for the first time in their history. A 3-1 victory over Mexico in the cross-over phase of the 2022 Men’s Pan American Cup, being played on home soil in Santiago, had set up a winner-takes-all semi-final meeting with the USA.

It proved to be a match of huge tension, with neither team being able to break the deadlock before Chile emerged victorious in the shoot-out. Chilean goalkeeper Adrian Henriquez was beaten just once in the one-on-ones, with Juan Amoroso, Franco Becerra and Kay Gesswein netting the goals to seal a place in the event final and the all-important World Cup ticket that came with it. The team were well beaten in the competition final, with Argentina storming to a 5-1 victory, but it mattered little.

In October 2022, Chile claimed their fourth silver medal at the South American Games in Luque, Paraguay, being defeated again by Argentina but scoring an incredible 53 goals in just five matches. The team is captained by Fernando Renz and coached by Jorge Dabanch.

One to watch: Juan Amoroso. A fifteen-goal haul at the 2022 South American Games saw Juan Amoroso finish well clear at the top of the competition scoring charts. The penalty corner expert could be a potent weapon for Chile in Odisha.