Following Thursday’s announcement that England and India will be the host nations of the Hockey World Cups in 2018, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has selected the countries that will host the vast majority of its top level events in the 2015-2018 Cycle.
The move is part of FIH’s new event assignment process, which was launched and presented to the National Associations at the FIH Congress in November 2012.
Argentina will host two events in 2015, with the Men’s Hockey World League Semi Final and the Women’s Hockey World League Final, while Belgium will be the location for a superb joint Men’s and Women’s World League Semi-Finals tournament. The Men’s World League Final will take place in India from 5-13 December.
In 2016, the elite Men’s and Women’s Champions Trophy events have been awarded to Argentina and England respectively, while India has won the rights to host the Men’s Junior World Cup. The Hockey World League will dominate the 2017 calendar, with Semi Final and Final events taking place in Belgium, Argentina, England and India. As well as the showpiece World Cup events, 2018 will also see Argentina playing host to the Women’s Champions Trophy and the joint Men’s and Women’s Indoor World Cup.
“We were really pleased with the bids received and I am delighted that we have been able to set the calendar for the next four years”, said FIH Chief Executive Officer Kelly Fairweather. “We are greatly looking forward to bringing our fantastic events to all of these nations over the years ahead.”
The news comes less than 24 hours after the announcement confirming England and India as the respective hosts of the Hockey World Cups in 2018. England Hockey were successful in their bid to host the women’s showpiece, with Hockey India winning the race to host the men’s equivalent. The women’s tournament in England is scheduled to take place from 7-21 July 2018, with the men’s event in India planned for 1-16 December 2018.
A list of the allocated events for the 2015-2018 cycle can be found below.
| Allocated events for 2015 | ||
| Event | Month | Location |
| Hockey World League Semi Final 1 – Men | June | Argentina |
| Hockey World League Semi Final 2 – Men | June | Belgium |
| Hockey World League Semi Final 2 – Women | June | Belgium |
| Hockey World League Final – Women | November | Argentina |
| Hockey World League Final – Men | December | India |
| Allocated events for 2016 | ||
| Champions Trophy – Men | June | Argentina |
| Champions Trophy – Women | June | England |
| Junior World Cup – Men | December | India |
| Allocated events for 2017 | ||
| Hockey World League Semi Final 1 – Women | June-July | Belgium |
| Hockey World League Semi Final 1 – Men | July | Argentina |
| Hockey World League Semi Final 2 – Men | July | England |
| Hockey World League Semi Final 2 – Women | July-August | Argentina |
| Hockey World League Final – Men | December | India |
| Allocated events for 2018 | ||
| Champions Trophy – Women | January | Argentina |
| Indoor World Cup – Men & Women | February | Argentina |
| Hockey World Cup – Women | 7-21 July | England |
| Hockey World Cup – Men | 1-16 December | India |
