With the Hockey World League Season 2 coming to a dramatic conclusion in both Raipur, India at the men’s Hero Hockey World League Final, and in Rosario at the women’s Argentina Hockey World League Final, we look ahead to what Season 3 has in store.
The Hockey World League is composed of four rounds and played over two years in venues around the world.
This unique competition gives even the smallest hockey-playing nations the opportunity to write their own chapter in hockey’s history books, as they are given the chance to progress through the Rounds, with the added incentive of Olympic or World Cup qualification also on offer.
Season 3 will indeed determine which teams qualify, alongside the Continental Champions and hosts, for the Hockey World Cups in 2018 in England (women) and India (men).
Qualification for the World Cups will be confirmed at the Hockey World League Semi-Finals which are scheduled to take place in Argentina, Belgium and England in the summer of 2017.
Before then, teams will be battling it out to qualify for the Semi-Finals through Rounds 1 and 2.
Earlier this year, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed the nine locations that will host Hockey World League Round 1 events.
Taking place in the summer of 2016, joint men’s and women’s events will be held in Accra (Ghana); Singapore (Singapore); Prague (Czech Republic); Salamanca (Mexico); Chiclayo (Peru) while a location in Oceania will also be confirmed at a later date.
In addition to the joint gender events, another women’s competition will take place in Cambrai (France) while Antalya (Turkey) and Glasgow (Scotland) will host men’s competitions.
Final standings at the Round 1 events will determine which teams will qualify for the Round 2 competitions which will take place in six locations, including Trinidad & Tobago, Ireland, Bangladesh, Canada, Spain and Malaysia in early 2017.
Highlighting the global spread of hockey around the world, each host award is an indication of the growth of the sport taking place in these countries. For Peru and Turkey in particular, these will be their first ever FIH events, a clear indication of the rapid development of hockey within these nations.
Whilst the ultimate prize is to win the Hockey World League title, and in addition to qualifying for the Hockey World Cup, there’s many more incentives for competing teams.
All teams participating in the Hockey World League will receive FIH World Ranking points which could prove crucial when it comes to qualification for other hockey events, while the winners will qualify for the 2018 Champions Trophies in Argentina (women) and the Netherlands (men).
The excitement and buzz created by the Hockey World League Finals in India and Argentina over the past few weeks will undoubtedly continue into these events. All of the hosts are in tune with FIH’s Hockey Revolution goals, in particular FIH’s aim to develop innovative and exciting entertainment events.
Be sure not to miss out on any of the action from the Hockey World League Season 3 by following FIH on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
To read more about all of the action from the women’s Argentina Hockey World League Final, click here.
Relive all the memories from the men’s Hero Hockey World League Final by clicking here.
Photo: FIH/Getty Images
