3 Asian teams to figure in 2023 World Cup

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan have now even greater chances of making it to the 2023 World Cup Hockey finals to be held in India as now three Asian countries will be part of the show.

Following the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to next year, and therefore hockey Continental Championships having to be rescheduled, the FIH Executive Board — after consultation with the continental federations and the FIH Athletes Committee — has reviewed the qualification process for the 2022/23 FIH Hockey World Cups.

This new World Cup qualification process includes:

An increase of the quota of places available through Continental Championships from 6 (the five continental champions + the World Cup hosts) to 11 (including the World Cup hosts); these continental quotas will be filled based on the final rankings at the relevant 2021 Continental Championships. The organisation of FIH qualification events (in March 2022) for the remaining five places, the continental quotas will be confirmed at a later stage.

The allocation of continental quotas from the 2021 Continental Championships (plus the World Cup hosts) has been determined as follows: Women: Africa (1), Asia (20), Europe 4 (including 2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup hosts The Netherlands and Spain), Oceania (2), PanAm (2).

Men: Africa (1), Asia 3 (including 2023 FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup hosts India), Europe (4), Oceania (2), PanAm (1).