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Men's FIH Hockey World Cup

International field hockey tournament


International field hockey tournament

FieldValue
titleMen's FIH Hockey World Cup
logoField_hockey_worldcup_logo.png
sportField hockey
founded
inaugural1971
teams16
regionInternational (FIH)
website
champion(3rd title)
champ_season2023
most_champs(4 titles)
  • 1971
  • 1973
  • 1975
  • 1978
  • 1982
  • 1986
  • 1990
  • 1994
  • 1998
  • 2002
  • 2006
  • 2010
  • 2014
  • 2018
  • 2023
  • 2026 The Men's FIH Hockey World Cup is an international field hockey competition organised by the International Hockey Federation. The tournament was started in 1971. It is held every four years, bridging the four years between the Summer Olympics. Pakistan is the most successful team, having won the tournament four times. The Netherlands, Australia, and Germany have each won three titles. Belgium and India have both won the tournament once.

The 2023 tournament was held in Bhubaneswar, India from 13 to 29 January. Germany defeated Belgium in a penalty shoot-out 5–4 after the match ended in a 3–3 draw to win their third World Cup title. The World Cup expanded to 16 teams in 2018.

History

The Hockey World Cup was first conceived by Pakistan's Air Marshal Nur Khan. He proposed his idea to the FIH through Patrick Rowley, the first editor of World Hockey magazine. Their idea was approved on 26 October 1969 and adopted by the FIH Council at a meeting in Brussels on 12 April 1970. The FIH decided that the inaugural World Cup would be held in October 1971, in Pakistan.

However, political issues would prevent that first competition from being played in Pakistan. The FIH had inadvertently scheduled the first World Cup to be played in Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Furthermore, Pakistan and India had been at war with each other only six years earlier. When Pakistan invited India to compete in the tournament, a crisis arose. Pakistanis, led by cricketer Abdul Hafeez Kardar, protested against India's participation in the Hockey World Cup.

Given the intense political climate between Pakistan and India, the FIH decided to move the tournament elsewhere. In March 1971, coincidentally in the same month Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan, the FIH decided to move the first Hockey World Cup to the Real Club de Polo grounds in Barcelona, Spain, which was considered a neutral and peaceful European site.

The FIH has set no requirements or limitations on the size of the competition. The 1971 Cup included only ten nations, the smallest World Cup. The 1978 Cup featured fourteen nations. The 2002, 2018 and 2023 Cups featured sixteen nations. The remaining 10 World Cups have featured 12 nations.

The first three tournaments were held every two years. The 1978 Cup was the only tournament held three years from the previous one. It was halfway between the Summer Olympics hockey competition and has continued that way. In other words, the tournament has been held every four years ever since.

Trophy

The Hockey World Cup trophy was designed by the Bashir Moojid and created by the Pakistani Army. On 27 March 1971, in Brussels, the trophy was formally handed to FIH President Rene Frank by Mr H.E Masood, the Pakistani Ambassador to Belgium. The trophy consists of a silver cup with an intricate floral design, surmounted by a globe of the world in silver and gold, placed on a high blade base inlaid with ivory. At its peak is a model hockey stick and ball. Without its base, the trophy stands 120.85 mm high. Including the base, the trophy stands 650 mm. It weighs 11560 g, including 895 g of gold, 6815 g of silver, 350 g of ivory and 3500 g of teak.

Format

The Hockey World Cup consists of a qualification stage and a final tournament stage. The format for each stage is the same.

Qualification

The qualification stage has been a part of the Hockey World Cup since 1977. All participating teams play in the qualification round. The teams divide into two or more pools and compete for a berth in the final tournament. The top two teams are automatically qualified and the rest of the berths are decided in playoffs.

Final tournament

The final tournament features the continental champions and other qualified teams. Sometimes it also features the winners of the Summer Olympics' hockey competition or the continental runners-up. The teams divide into pools once more and play a round robin tournament. The composition of the pools is determined using the current FIH World Rankings.

Results

Summaries

YearHostFinalThird place matchNumber of teamsWinnerScoreRunner-upThird placeScoreFourth place
1971
DetailsBarcelona, Spain****1–02–1 (a.e.t.)10
1973
DetailsAmstelveen, Netherlands****2–2 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p.s.)1–012
1975
DetailsKuala Lumpur, Malaysia****2–14–012
1978
DetailsBuenos Aires, Argentina****3–24–314
1982
DetailsBombay, India****3–14–212
1986
DetailsLondon, England****2–13–2 (a.e.t.)12
1990
DetailsLahore, Pakistan****3–12–1
(a.e.t.)12
1994
DetailsSydney, Australia****1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p.s.)5–212
1998
DetailsUtrecht, Netherlands****3–2 (a.e.t.)1–012
2002
DetailsKuala Lumpur, Malaysia****2–12–1 (a.e.t.)16
2006
DetailsMönchengladbach, Germany****4–33–2 (a.e.t.)12
2010
DetailsNew Delhi, India****2–14–312
2014
DetailsThe Hague, Netherlands****6–12–012
2018
DetailsBhubaneswar, India****0–0
(3–2 s.o.)8–116
2023
DetailsOdisha, India****3–3
(5–4 s.o.)3–116
2026
DetailsWavre, Belgium
Amstelveen, Netherlands16

Successful national teams

Twenty seven teams have qualified for a Hockey World Cup. Of these, thirteen teams have made it to the semifinals. Eight teams have made it through to the finals.

To date, the most successful teams are Pakistan, with four titles from six final appearances, the Netherlands, with three titles from seven final appearances, Germany and Australia with three titles from five final appearances, while India and Belgium won their lone titles in 1975 and 2018, respectively.

Below is a list of teams that have finished in the top four positions in the tournament:

TeamChampionsRunners-upThird placeFourth place
4 (1971, 1978, 1982, 1994)2 (1975, 1990*)1 (1973)
3 (1973, 1990, 1998)4 (1978, 1994, 2014*, 2018)3 (2002, 2010, 2023)1 (1982)
3 (1986, 2010, 2014)2 (2002, 2006)5 (1978, 1982, 1990, 1994*, 2018)2 (1998, 2023)
^3 (2002, 2006*, 2023)2 (1982, 2010)4 (1973, 1975, 1986, 1998)3 (1978, 1990, 1994)
1 (1975)1 (1973)1 (1971)
1 (2018)1 (2023)
2 (1971*, 1998)1 (2006)
1 (1986*)3 (2010, 2014, 2018)
1 (2014)
2 (2002, 2006)
1 (1971)
1 (1975*)
#1 (1986)

:* = host country :^ = includes results representing West Germany between 1971 and 1990 :# = states that have since split into two or more independent countries

Performance by host nations

Nine nations have hosted the Hockey World Cup. Only the Netherlands (1973 and 1998) and Germany (2006) have won the tournament as hosts. Spain, England, and Pakistan emerged as host runners-up in the 1971, 1986 and 1990 tournaments. Australia placed third when it hosted the 1994 tournament in Sydney.

Performance by continental zones

To date, the finals of the Hockey World Cup have been contested by Asian, European and Oceania continental teams. European teams have won the most with six titles, followed by Asian teams with five titles. Australia is the only team from Oceania to win the tournament. Neither the Americas nor Africa have ever won the title.

ContinentBest performance
Europe7 titles, won by the Netherlands (3), Germany (3) and Belgium (1)
Asia5 titles, won by Pakistan (4) and India (1)
Oceania3 titles, won by Australia
AmericasThird place (Argentina, 2014)
AfricaFourth place (Kenya, 1971)

Team appearances

TeamESP
1971NED
1973MAS
1975ARG
1978IND
1982ENG
1986PAK
1990AUS
1994NED
1998MAS
2002GER
2006IND
2010NED
2014IND
2018IND
2023BEL
NED
2026TotalTotal10121214121212121216121212161616
10th9th11th8th12th6th9th7th6th10th7th3rd7th9thQ15
8th5th3rd3rd1st3rd3rd4th2nd2nd1st1st3rd4thQ15
Part of the Soviet Union12th1
8th14th11th14th5th1st2ndQ8
11th10th11th8th11th11th6
15th1
10th1
16th1
6th6th7th8th2nd5th6th6th7th5th4th4th4th5th14
7th7th8th13th4
^5th3rd3rd4th2nd3rd4th4th3rd1st1st2nd6th5th1stQ16
12th1
3rd2nd1st6th5th12th10th5th9th10th11th8th9th6th9thQ16
12th12th14th3
13th1
9th10th12th9th15th5
4th12th2
11th4th10th10th11th8th12th15th13th9
6th1st9th2nd4th7th1st2nd1st3rd7th3rd2nd2nd3rdQ16
7th7th7th9th10th9th8th9th7th9th7thQ12
1st4th2nd1st1st11th2nd1st5th5th6th12th12th13
10th9th8th8th12th15th6
10th13th12th10th11th16th11thQ8
8th7th4th4th6th10th8th7
#6th4th6thDefunct3
2nd5th8th5th11th5th8th9th2nd11th3rd5th8th13th6thQ16
11th1

:^ = includes results representing West Germany between 1971 and 1990 :# = states that have since split into two or more independent nations

Germany, India, the Netherlands and Spain are the only teams to have competed at each World Cup; 27 teams have competed in at least one World Cup.

Debut of teams

YearDebuting teamsSuccessor and
renamed teamsTeamsNo.CT
1971, , , , , , , , , ^1010
1973, , ,414
1975,216
1978, ,319
1982#120
1986020
1990020
1994#, ,323
1998023
2002124
2006024
2010024
2014024
2018125
2023,227

:^ = Germany is a successor of West Germany and not a separate team. :# = Belarus was a part of Soviet Union but not successor, hence Belarus is a new separate entity.

Total number of teams which have participated in the World Cups through 2018 is 25, using FIH's view on successor teams

References

References

  1. (2012-11-01). "World Cup field to expand to 16 teams in 2018". FIH.
  2. "World Cup Hockey".
  3. "The World Cup — A Masterpiece".
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