Hockey Pro League season resumes next month

ISLAMABAD:With just one month to go until the second half of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 season resumes, the stage is set for an electrifying finish to the League of the Best.

Starting from June 7 in Spain and Netherlands, the world’s top men’s and women’s national teams will return to action reigniting rivalries and chasing crucial points as the race for Pro League glory intensifies, said a press release.

From Amstelveen to Valencia, Antwerp, Berlin and London, hockey fans can look forward to unforgettable matches across iconic venues in the business end of the competition. Reigning champions Netherlands (women) and Australia (men) will look to defend their crowns, while hungry challengers aim to upset the order and write new history.

The first half of the season delivered nail-biting matches and left the tables wide open. Every match now carries extra weight, as each win presents an opportunity to climb the table and each loss suffered, an edge handed over to a rival.

Young talents have made headlines in the first half and they’ll be looking to cement their names as household figures by season’s end. The teams will also rely heavily on the established superstars to step up in the tense moments that could decide not just matches but the title as well.

With the winning men’s and women’s teams from the Pro League securing their spot at the upcoming FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026, the teams will be vying for much more than the trophy and bragging rights.

In the previous season, Australia men and Germany women secured their spots in addition to the Netherlands and Belgium teams who qualified as hosts. The race is on to see who will join these three men’s and women’s teams in securing a World Cup 2026 spot this year.

In the first half of the season, all teams played exactly half of their season, 8 matches, and the competition remains wide open. In the men’s tournament, England lead the way with 16 points, but an incredibly tight field means they are just 4 points above seventh placed Spain, with Belgium (16 points), India (15), Netherlands (14), Germany (13), Australia (12) placed from second to sixth spots on the table.

Argentina (9) and Ireland (1) occupy the last two spots, but mathematically remain in the battle for the title while needing to ensure avoiding a last place finish to stave off relegation.

In the women’s competition, Netherlands lead the way with 19 points from the first half of the season, but Belgium remain hot on their heels trailing the leaders by just 2 points.

China (16), Spain (14) and Argentina (14) also remain within catching distance of the leading duo and the fight for the title is bound to heat up over the coming months! India (9), Australia (8), Germany (6), and England (5) trail the leading group and each match will have massive implications on the title race as well as the race to avoid relegation.