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Preparations are in full swing ahead of the much anticipated 14th edition of the Hockey Men's World Cup, to be played from 28 November to 16 December 2018, at the iconic Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Format :

The prestigious event will witness 16 top teams in the world vie for the top spot. The 16 teams are drawn into four groups, each containing four teams. Each team plays each other team in its group once. The first placed team in each group advances to the quarter-finals, while the second and third placed teams in each group go into the crossover matches. From there on a single-elimination tournament will be played.

A total of 36 matches will be played during the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. The opening match of the tournament will see World No. 3 Belgium take on World No. 11 Canada on 28th November, 2018 while host nation India, World No. 5, will also open their campaign on the same day as they face World No. 15, South Africa.

Here is a look at the 16 teams competing in the tournament:

Pool A

 Argentina 

  • The team nicknamed Los Leones (The Lions) is currently ranked 2nd in the FIH World Rankings.

• Argentina has appeared in every Hockey World Cup since the first edition in 1971.

• They reached the Bronze medal at the 2014 World Cup in The Hague, their best position in the tournament.

• The team won a Gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

 New Zealand

  • The New Zealand men's national field hockey team, also known as the Black Sticks Men, is currently ranked 9th in the FIH World Rankings.

• Their best position in the World Cup is 7th position in 2014, 1982, 1975 and 1973.

• The team won Gold at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada

 Spain 

  • The Spain men's national field hockey team has competed in every World Cup since the first edition in 1971. The team is currently ranked 8th in the FIH World Rankings.

• Their best position in the World Cup is 2nd position in 1998 and 1971.

 France 

  • France’s men's national field hockey team has competed only twice in World Cup, in 1971 and 1990. Their best position is at 7th in both the years.

• The team is currently ranked 20th in the FIH World Rankings.

• The team has qualified after 28 years and will be competing in the 2018 World Cup.

Pool B

 Australia

  • The Australia men's national field hockey team nicknamed the Kookaburras is currently ranked on the top in the FIH World Rankings.

• Australia has appeared in every Hockey World Cup since the first edition in 1971.

• They have won the Hockey World Cup in 1986, 2010 and are the Defending Champions, 2014.

 England

  • England’s men's national field hockey team has competed in every World Cup since 1973.

• The team is currently ranked 7th in the FIH World Rankings.

• England's best finish in the Hockey World Cup was as runners-up to Champions Australia in 1986, held in London.

 Ireland

  • Ireland has qualified for the Hockey World Cup twice, finishing 12th in 1978 and 1990. The 2018 tournament is their 3rd qualification.

• The team is currently ranked 10th in the FIH World Rankings.

 China

  • China has qualified for the Hockey World Cup for the first time.

• The team is currently ranked 17th in the FIH World Rankings.

Pool C

 Belgium

  • The Belgium national field hockey team, nicknamed the Red Lions is currently ranked 3rd in the FIH World Rankings.

• They have competed in 5 World Cup, in 1973, 1978, 1994, 2002 and 2014. Their best position is at 5th in 2014.

 India

  • The Indian national field hockey team, nicknamed Men in Blue and Bharat Army is currently ranked 5th in the FIH World Rankings.

• India has appeared in every Hockey World Cup since the first edition in 1971.

• The team has won the Hockey World Cup in 1975.

• India is the most successful team ever in the Olympics, having won eight gold, one silver and two bronze medals from 1928 to 1980.

 Canada

  • Canada has qualified for the Hockey World Cup five times, finishing 8th in 1998. The 2018 tournament is their 6th qualification.

• The team is currently ranked 11th in the FIH World Rankings.

 South Africa

  • South Africa national field hockey team, nicknamed AmaStokkie, has qualified for the Hockey World Cup five times, finishing 10th in 2010 and 1994. The 2018 tournament is their 6th qualification.

• The team is currently ranked 15th in the FIH World Rankings.

Pool D

 Netherlands

  • The Netherlands national men's field hockey team is currently ranked 4th in the FIH World Rankings.

• The team has competed in every Hockey World Cup since the first edition in 1971.

• The team won the Hockey World Cup in 1973, 1990, and 1998.

 Germany

  • The German national men's field hockey team is currently ranked 6th in the FIH World Rankings.

• The team has competed in every Hockey World Cup since the first edition in 1971.

• The team won the Hockey World Cup in 2002 and 2006.

 Malaysia

  • The Malaysia national field hockey team, nicknamed Speedy Tigers, has qualified for the Hockey World Cup seven times since 1971.

• The team is currently ranked 12th in the FIH World Rankings.

• Their best position in the World Cup is 4th in 1975.

 Pakistan

  • The Pakistan national field hockey team, nicknamed Green Machines, has qualified for the Hockey World Cup since 1971 except the last WC in 2014.

• The team is currently ranked 13th in the FIH World Rankings.

• The team is the most successful World Cup team, having won the Hockey World Cup in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994.

Good Luck to the teams who will look to become the Champions of the prestigious quadrennial event!

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