01 December, 2022 21 total goals were scored on match day 3 of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup as a fascinating blend of attacking and defensive hockey thrilled fans who packed the stands on a breezy day in Potchefstroom. With three semi-final spots already claimed by Korea, Ireland and South Africa on match day 2, the Pool B match between Malaysia and Japan had the highest stakes, with the winner qualifying for the semi-finals. It was Malaysia who grabbed the second spot, behind Korea, in Pool B with a rousing 5-1 victory over Japan, scoring 3 goals in a span of 6 minutes in a fantastic third quarter display. Earlier in the day, Korea handled their business in the first game of the morning, making it 3 wins in 3 with a 6-2 win over Canada to seal the top spot in Pool B. Pakistan and France then played a highly entertaining 3-3 draw, with Pakistan leveling the score in the final minute of the game. South Africa, who were cheered on by the home crowd, played Ireland in the final game of the pool stage, but a close 1-0 loss meant they had to settle for second place in Pool A. Korea will now take on South Africa in the semi-finals, while Ireland will face Malaysia. In the 5-8 positional play-offs Pakistan will take on Japan and France will face Canada. All teams will be back in action on 3 December after a rest day tomorrow. To see the full schedule click here. Match 1 – Korea vs Canada 6-2 Korea came into the final pool stage match knowing a draw would be enough to seal a top spot in Pool B, but with just one goal so far from open play, they came out on the offensive. The Canadian defense held strong and repelled wave after wave of Korean attacks, looking to counter with long passes out of defense. They capitalized on the first big opportunity of the game through a great drag flick by captain Gordon Johnston, to stun Korea. But Korea took the setback in their stride and kept attacking. Joghyun Jang continued his scoring form from penalty corners, bringing Korea back level after Canada’s first major lapse in defense led to a penalty corner in the 27th minute. It was all Korea in the second half as they scored 5 unanswered goals through two penalty corners via Joghyun Jang and Hyeonhong Kim, a penalty stroke won and converted by Byungjin Jeon and two cracking open play goals by Jungjun Lee and Inwoo Seo to put the game beyond Canada’s reach. Canada added a late goal from another Gordon Johnston penalty corner, but it was little more than a consolation. Joghyun Jang, the leading scorer in the tournament with 5 goals, was asked about his team’s performance thus far and said: “It’s good to get out of the pool stage with no hiccups, against some tough opponents. We will look to carry forward that momentum into the semi-final.” Match 2 – France vs Pakistan 3-3 France and Pakistan came into the match with nothing to gain, having missed out on semi-final qualification already, but both teams also had nothing to lose. So the viewers were treated to an end-to-end match of hockey with neither team looking to play cautiously. Pakistan opened the scoring through a terrific open play goal in the 9th minute by Abdul Rana, but France struck back inside three minutes with a fantastic open play goal of their own, scored by Pieter van Straaten. Pakistan struck again before the interval, as a shot by Afraz looked to have been well saved by French keeper Arthur Thieffry, but the shot had enough power to still trickle into the goal as Thieffry failed to pull it back. Pakistan started the second half on the front foot, but missed a couple of great scoring opportunities and France made them pay by equalizing through a smart deflected goal by Noé Jouin. Both teams continued to play at a breakneck speed and while plenty of chances were created by both teams, most lacked the finishing touches. With less than 3 minutes left on the clock, France were presented with a golden opportunity through a penalty corner, and François Goyet stepped up and put France in the lead. Pakistan refused to throw in the towel and scored from a penalty corner of their own through Arbaz Ahmad, with just 40 seconds left on the clock. Abdul Rana who opened the scoring for Pakistan was chosen as the player of the match. Asked about what the result means for his young team, Rana said: “I think this is a great result for us. France were the red hot favorites before the tournament so a competitive performance against them is good for us. It’s great exposure for our young players to compete against European teams and I think our future is very bright.” Match 3 – Malaysia vs Japan 5-1  The Malaysia vs Japan match was effectively a quarterfinal, as the winner would be guaranteed to advance into the semi-finals, and both teams absolutely came flying off the blocks. Malaysia took the lead in the 2nd minute through Najib Hassan, but Japan were back level within two minutes of going down, with Kosei Kawabe getting on the scoresheet for the first time in the tournament. The pace of the game slowed down after the early goals, but picked up pace once again as Malaysia retook the lead from a Aminuddin Muhammad penalty corner. Both teams created chances, with each team winning 2 penalty corners each in the final 5 minutes of the half, but the defensive units of both teams held their ground and Malaysia took a one goal lead into the interval. The onus to get back into the game was on Japan in the second half and as they committed more players to attack, Malaysia exposed the space behind their defense and scored three goals in the

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29 November, 2022 Day 2 of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022 saw a plethora of attacking displays as all teams managed to get themselves on the scoresheet. But it was joy for some and despair for others as the semifinals picture started to take shape as the day progressed. Korea, Ireland and South Africa made it two wins in two matches, and qualified for the semi-finals, with one pool match still to go. Meanwhile Pakistan, Canada and France can no longer qualify after taking no points from the first two games. Malaysian hopes of qualification stay alive after their come-from-behind victory over Canada set up a final pool match showdown against Japan, where a win for Malaysia will see them join Korea as semi-finalists from Pool B, while a draw will be enough for Japan, given their superior goal difference. All teams will be back in action on 1 December after a rest day tomorrow. Match 1 – Korea vs Japan 3-1 Japan came racing off the blocks in the battle between two Asian rivals, but a combination of poor finishing and excellent keeping from Jehyeon Kim kept Korea in the game; who then made Japan pay for the missed opportunities by scoring on either side of the first quarter break through Jonghyun Jang and Sunghyun Kim. Japan pulled one back before the half as a speculative shot by Takuma Niwa snuck through the legs of Jehyeon Kim. The pace of the game slowed down significantly in the 3rd quarter, with both teams prodding, without committing too many to attack. Japan conceded a penalty corner with one second left in the third quarter, and Korea snatched the opportunity with a perfect top corner flick by Jonghyun Jang again. Jang was awarded the player of the match for his two brilliant goals, that proved to be the difference between the two sides, and said: “Yesterday’s win was important, but today’s was even more so, because Japan are a tough side and they were coming off a win themselves. I am happy to have converted two penalty corners and I look forward to the next game.” Match 2 – Ireland vs Pakistan 3-1 Ireland came into the game as heavy favorites after their impressive win against France yesterday, while Pakistan had suffered a heavy defeat against South Africa, but the first quarter proved how close all teams at the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup 2022 are, with neither team giving an edge. Pakistan opened the scoring through a smart finish by Abdul Shahid at the start of the 2nd quarter, but Ireland struck back almost instantly via Conor Empey. Both teams looked for attacking opportunities in the second half, but Pakistan could not make theirs count, while Ireland added two goals; the first, a beautiful team move with intricate passing that was knocked into an empty goal by Benjamin Walker, and a second via a Shane O’Donoghue penalty corner. The two second half goals were enough for Ireland to see the game out and make it 6 points from 2 matches so far. Benjamin Walker, who has been on the scoresheet for Ireland in both their games, was awarded the player of the match. Speaking of the win today and the upcoming challenges he said: “The win yesterday was great but it took a lot out of us, so it was good to be able to comeback from the early deficit and get three goals and the win. South Africa next after a rest tomorrow and that will be a tough game too. We saw them play against Pakistan and they look very good.” Match 3 – Canada vs Malaysia 2-3 Through most of the game Malaysia looked like they were going to be on the losing end of yet another frustrating encounter, where they had plenty of chances, but couldn’t find a way to get the final shot. But a 4th quarter surge reversed their fortunes and earned them 3 crucial points, which makes their next encounter against Japan, where a victory will see them qualify for the semi-finals. Canada took the lead in the game twice, but the Malaysian attack kept pressing on, despite failing to find a final touch on multiple occasions. With just 15 minutes to go in the game and Malaysia trailing by a goal, Canada’s Matthew Sarmento picked up a 10-minute suspension that handed Malaysia the impetus, and they capitalized on the player advantage through an Abu Azrai goal, leveling the score. Azrai then found himself in the right spot once again in the 57th minute of the game, as his shot deflected off a Canadian stick and looped over the keeper and into the goal to earn Malaysia a huge win. Abu Azrai was awarded the player of the match for his two crucial goals, and said: “It feels good to overcome the adversity of going a goal down twice and to comeback and win the game in the final quarter. Canada were really impressive today, but we needed the three points and we got them, so it’s job done for us today.” Match 4 – South Africa vs France 2-1 South Africa and France produced attacking masterclasses when they faced off in the FIH Hockey Pro League earlier in the year and it was no different today as the two teams went head-to-head in the Nations Cup. Corentin Sellier opened the scoring for France in the 12th minute with a brilliant move inside the circle to make room for himself and bury a shot into the roof of the net. South Africa answered back within a minute as a pinpoint long range pass by Ryan Julius found Tevin Kok, whose brilliant first touch allowed him to put the ball past the onrushing French keeper to level things up. Dayaan Cassiem has been the heart and soul of the South African team and showed once again why he is so highly regarded as his brilliant 3d skills cracked the French

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29 November 2022 | Source: SAHockey.co.za South Africa and France, the two teams to have tasted FIH Hockey Pro League action previously, locked horns in a battle that could see either side re-enter the top tier of the international game. South Africa had opened their tournament with a 6-2 win against Pakistan while France had somewhat surprisingly lost to Ireland. The match marked cap number 50 for Tevin Kok. The South Africans were enjoying a vociferous home crowd support and sensed the opportunity to get a first win against France in the recent head-to-head. South Africa had two penalty corners in the early exchange, but both were well charged down by the French defense. The South Africans were punished for not taking their chances as a bullet goal from Corentin Sellier gave the visitors the lead. But as seen many times over the past couple of years this South African team is made of sterner stuff. Ryan Julius hit a wonderful diagonal ball through to Tevin Kok who picked it up and finished superbly. 1-1 at the end of the first quarter! Both teams had chances with the speed of the South African attack asking questions of the French defense. France won their first penalty corner with six minutes remaining to half-time. Jethro Eustice kept the ball out on the post although they had to refer to overturn a stroke that was incorrectly awarded. Tempers were starting to rise, and the umpires were themselves being tested as well. Dayaan Cassiem continued to provide danger up front, but his shot was tame. South Africa received a penalty corner on the half-time break after Tevin Kok pulled down a good aerial ball. Jacques van Tonder picked up the rebound but was unable to find the back, however the penalty corner was re-awarded and form the re-award the ball found the back of the net. However, after a referral the goal was correctly disallowed as the ball was off target. 1-1 at the break. The first short corner of the second half went to France after the ball struck the foot off Sam Mvimbi. But uncharacteristically the French were unable to show their typical danger at a set piece. South Africa showed their own character with a great counter, but Keenan Horne was unable to put the finishing touches on the team move. France almost regained the lead with a massive opportunity on the overhead. Tynevez one on one with Estiaan Kriek kept the French out before a ripping pass up the other side saw Tevin Kok hit the outside of the post as South Africa challenged the French defense once more. 15 minutes remained. South Africa took the lead superbly against the French with a tenacious goal. Luke Wynford responded to a superb save and Keenan Horne was on hand to bundle it home and give the hosts the lead for the first time in the game. France almost pulled level but the ball narrowly missed the South African goal. France were desperate to pull level but the South Africans were keeping them at bay and France decided to withdraw their keeper for the final two minutes. South Africa though held the French at bay and as a result secured the victory and a place in the Semi-Final!!!!   FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2022 – Day 2 Results Pool B – Korea 3-1 Japan Pool B – Canada 2-3 Malaysia Pool A – Pakistan 1-3 Ireland Pool A – South Africa 2-1 France FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2022 – Day 3 Fixtures (1 December) 09:00 – Korea vs. Canada 11:00 – France vs. Pakistan 13:00 – Japan vs. Malaysia 15:00 – South Africa vs. Ireland

28 November, 2022 A new era of international hockey began with 8 top teams producing thrilling hockey on the opening day of the inaugural FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022. The Nations Cup features the best teams in the world outside of the ones participating in the FIH Hockey Pro League, and their quality was on full display as the lower ranked teams took victories in 3 of the 4 games, with Japan, Ireland and Korea defeating higher ranked Canada, France and Malaysia respectively. Hosts South Africa however ensured there was no upset in their opener, as they put in a spectacular attacking display, scoring 6 goals past a young Pakistan team. Match 1 – Canada vs Japan 0-3 Japanese coach Akira Takahashi mentioned before the game that his team wouldn’t be afraid to play to their strengths and his team backed up his words with a dominant display in the opening encounter against Canada with a clinical 3-0 win to open their campaign. Japan started the game on the front foot and opened the scoring through Ken Nagayoshi beating Zachary Coombs on the fifth time of asking from a penalty corner midway through the 2nd quarter. Japan added two more goals from penalty corners on either side of the half-time through Taiki Takade and a second goal for Ken Nagayoshi, ending Canadian hopes of a comeback, taking all 3 points in the first game of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup 2022. Japan’s Kaito Tanaka was awarded the player of the match for a dominant display in the middle of the field. Speaking about the importance of winning the first game, Tanaka said: “It is important to win the first game, but the next two matches are just as important, so our focus is going to shift on the next game right away.” Match 2 – France vs Ireland 1-2 France came into the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022 as one of the prohibitive favorites, but suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of continental rivals Ireland, in their campaign opener. Ireland opened the scoring against the run of play midway through the first quarter, catching France out on a quick counter-attack, as John McKee played a perfect pass into the path of Jeremy Duncan, who lifted the ball over the keeper, into the goal. France found a response inside 5 minutes, from a thundering penalty corner goal, scored by Victor Charlet. Ireland had the chance to go into the break with their lead restored but Arthur Thieffry pulled off a spectacular save from a penalty stroke to keep the teams level. The second half saw the game start to open up as the teams took turns to launch attacks. Ireland found the breakthrough in the final minute of the 3rd quarter, through a Shane O’Donoghue penalty corner. France continued to probe through the 4th quarter, even taking their keeper off for the final 5 minutes, but Ireland denied them possession for long periods and deservedly took all 3 points. John McKee who set up the first goal for Ireland was adjudged the player of the match and said: “It was a really good game for us and a massive result in the group. I am looking forward to the next two games and we are not going to get ahead of ourselves.” Match 3 – Malaysia vs Korea 0-1 Korea drew first blood in the battle of the Asian giants, scoring inside 5 minutes, through a Jonghyun Jang penalty corner and that goal was enough to get all 3 points for Korea. It was a game of missed chances as Korea and Malaysia both won penalty strokes in the 2nd quarter, but failed to capitalize, as Jang took too long to take a shot attempt and blew an opportunity to double Korea’s lead, while Rahim, who had the chance to pull Malaysia level, put his penalty stroke attempt wide to the right. The second half saw yet another penalty stroke opportunity missed, as Jang’s second chance of the game was deflected on to the post and out by Hafizuddin Othman to keep Malaysia in the game. As the game went on, Korea became more defensive, and Malaysia couldn’t get anything past Jaehyeon Kim, who had an outstanding performance in the Korean goal. Kim was adjudged the player of the match and said: “Happy with the 3 points, as it’s always good to get a win over Asian rivals Malaysia, because they aren’t an easy team to beat. Looking forward to the upcoming matches in the tournament now.” Match 4 – South Africa vs Pakistan 6-2 Hosts South Africa gave the home crowd a lot to cheer for, as they produced a fluent attacking performance winning 6-2 against Pakistan, who showed plenty of promise, but were let down by the lack of defensive solidity. South Africa were clinical from the set pieces, scoring from two penalty corners and a penalty stroke in the first half. Tyson Dlungwana penalty corner opened the scoring for the hosts, and while Pakistan pulled level through Rooman, South Africa were not bogged down and continued to attack, scoring twice in the second quarter to take a comfortable lead into the interval. The pace of the game remained frantic in the second half as well, with South Africa striking first through a magical deflection by Tevin Kok, with his back to the goal, that snuck in between the keeper’s legs. Skipper Dayaan Cassiem scored South Africa’s 5th goal in the final quarter to seal the win for his team in style. Pakistan pulled a goal back in the final quarter through Arshad Liaqat, but it proved to be little more than a consolation, as South Africa found a 6th goal on the counter to close the game out. Captain Dayaan Cassiem was awarded the player of the match award for his excellent performance in leading the line for South Africa. Samkelo Mvimbi, scorer of South Africa’s third goal,

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27th November, 2022 With less than 24 hours to go to the inaugural FIH Hockey Nations Cup, the coaches of all teams have spoken exclusively to FIH.hockey to express their expectations: Cheslyn Gie, Interim Head Coach (RSA) “As always our team’s objective is to make the knockout stages. We have shown in the past couple of years we can compete in the big games against the best nations and we want to do that in front of our home fans. We are a team in a transitional phase as a number of players are not available and our depth will be tested, but we believe the players who are given the opportunity will step up for our country. I am honoured at the opportunity to lead the team at the FIH Hockey Nations Cup.” Patrick Tshutshani, Head Coach (CAN) “The on-field and off-field chemistry will be key in our development steps moving forward. The key steps for us will be how we connect as a team, and how we want to play the game. The Nations Cup brings great competition, and I look forward to how we apply ourselves in pressure moments.” Fred Soyez, Head Coach (FRA) “This is a very important tournament for us with two big objectives: the qualification for the next FIH Hockey Pro League and the preparation for the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup. The team is very excited to play again in Potchefstroom and ready to start the competition.” Mark Tumilty, Head Coach (IRL) “We are looking forward to the challenge of the inaugural Nations Cup. We expect it to be a very competitive tournament with all teams evenly matched. We will need to be at our best to give us a chance to progress in the tournament.” Arul Anthoni (MAS) “We hope to make defensive improvements after the Azlan Shah Cup, have a better outcome in attacking and play the Final to improve our world ranking.” Akira Takahashi (JPN) “If we win this tournament, we can join the FIH Hockey Pro League next year. So that is our objective. Furthermore, we’re back in the World Cup – which we missed for the last three consecutive editions – so we want to use this tournament also to prepare well for the upcoming World Cup.” Shin Seok Kyo (KOR) “This tournament enables to reach the FIH Hockey Pro League, where you have the highest possible level. Our team is strong. We’re hoping for the top four, and targeting to reach the final. We will play to our best, also to prepare for the World Cup.” Siegfried Aikman (PAK) “We expect to be competitive in every match. We play only western teams – South Africa, Ireland and France – in the group stage and they play a different style of hockey than Asian teams. Our new team didn’t play any match against western teams yet, so that will be our challenge. But all teams are fairly near in the world rankings.” To see the complete FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022 match schedule, please click here. #FIHNationsCup #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites

18 November 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded the best sports governing body initiative silver award at the Sports Business Awards 2022, in London, UK, today. The recognition comes for the creation of the Watch.Hockey platform, which has massively boosted the viewership opportunities for hockey fans across the world. Hockey’s popularity across all continents presented a unique challenge for fans to enjoy viewing the various national and international events taking place all over the world, across all time zones. Watch.Hockey, co-created by FIH and its partner Nagra, has taken on this challenge by becoming a one-stop destination for hockey events, making it the “digital home of hockey” that has enabled fans around the world to watch a full range of hockey matches, not just international ones, but also local competitions which are key for the engagement and development of the sport around the world. Since its launch, Watch.Hockey has seen an accumulated 1.2 million users from over 148 countries. More than 1,000 matches have been streamed and made available on the platform live and on-demand, from FIH events to local competitions such as Spain’s Final Four, Australia’s BWHA, New Zealand’s Hockey Premier League and more. With new upcoming international and national competitions as well as engaging content that will respond to the ever-growing thirst of fans to watch their favourite sport – such as the upcoming FIH Hockey Nations Cup that will be available live on Watch.Hockey from anywhere in the world – the future of Watch.Hockey looks promising! For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please download the Watch.Hockey app or follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and website. #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites

9 November 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: The very first edition of the FIH Hockey Nations Cup is almost upon us. The event will begin with the men’s tournament, which will run from 28 November to 4 December in Potchefstroom, South Africa, and will be followed by the women’s tournament which begins on 11 December and runs till 17 December in Valencia, Spain. With highly ranked nations competing, not just for the inaugural title, but also a chance of promotion to the FIH Hockey Pro League, the Nations Cup promises to start off its first season with a bang! Venues The FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup will be played in Potchefstroom, South Africa which also hosted the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup – the first FIH Hockey World Cup played on African soil – and FIH Hockey Pro League matches earlier in the year. The FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup will be played in Valencia, Spain in the Estadio Betero, which has hosted men’s FIH Hockey Pro League matches over the past three years, amongst others. Format The FIH Hockey Nations Cups will be contested between 8 teams in each event. The teams have been split into two Pools of 4. Each team will face the other 3 teams in their Pool in the group stage. At the end of the group stage, all 4 teams will be classified from 1-4 with the top two teams from each pool making it to the semi-finals, and the bottom 2 teams then going forward for the 5-8 classification. The teams finishing in the 3rd place in their Pool will play the 4th placed team in the other Pool. The winning team from these contests will play for the 5th position and the losing teams will play for the 7th position. The teams finishing in the first place in their respective Pools will play the second placed teams in the other pool, in the semi-finals. The winners will then go on to play the finals, while the losing semi-finalists will play for the 3rd position. Promotion The winning teams from the FIH Hockey Nations Cup, men’s and women’s, will be promoted to the FIH Hockey Pro League for the 2023-24 season, where they will replace the teams that finish last in the 2022-23 season of the FIH Hockey Pro League. Teams Men’s Tournament Pool A Hosts South Africa are joined by France, Ireland and Pakistan to make up Pool A, that promises to deliver high-octane attacking hockey. South Africa replaced New Zealand in the FIH Hockey Pro League last season, and while they finished in the bottom place, their team took major steps forward and it showed as they made it all the way to the semi-finals of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. France was the other team to play in the FIH Hockey Pro League in the previous edition, replacing Australia, and produced great hockey, registering impressive wins against India, Argentina and South Africa through the course of the tournament. South Africa and France will also be in action in the FIH Hockey Odisha Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, so they will be highly motivated to put their best foot forward at the Nations Cup, in build-up to the event. On the flip side, Ireland and Pakistan will have their eyes firmly set on the promotion to the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24, by winning the Nations Cup. Both Ireland and Pakistan narrowly missed out on World Cup qualification and will be hungry to use the Nations Cup as the platform to re-launch their ascent in hockey world rankings. Pool B Canada joins the Asian triumvirate of Japan, Korea and Malaysia in Pool B that promises to deliver a variety of tactical battles in every game. Canada have been in a transitional phase as a younger generation aims to burst through and make a name for itself in world hockey. Their performances in the Commonwealth Games were never lacking in passion and intensity, as they finished in the 8th place, with their best performance coming in the 7/8 place classification match against Pakistan which they narrowly lost by a score-line of 3-4. Japan, Korea and Malaysia will head to the Nations Cup right after the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup where they have put in some excellent performances already and currently occupy the top three spots in the league table ahead of Pakistan, Egypt and South Africa. All three teams have also qualified for the World Cup in January 2023 and will aim to continue building momentum through the Nations Cup. Women’s Tournament Pool A Hosts Spain will be joined by Korea, Ireland and Italy in Pool A of the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup. Spain have been on the rise with their young rising stars blending well with the established veterans on the team. They are one of the two teams playing in the Nations Cup after having played in the FIH Hockey Pro League in the previous season, where they had an impressive 5th placed finish, ahead of Germany, England, China and USA. Spain also excelled in the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain & Netherlands 2022, making it to the quarterfinals, and finishing 7th. Ireland and Korea endured disappointing World Cup campaigns by their usual standards, finishing 11th and 13th respectively. The disappointments at the World Cup will provide plenty motivation for Ireland and Korea to try and win the Nations Cup and get promoted into the FIH Hockey Pro League in the next season. Italy has been a team on the rise over the past year with impressive performances on the continental level. The Nations Cup will provide a big opportunity for them to take their game up a level onto the international stage, and their opponents would do well to not underestimate them! Pool B Pool B is an intriguing mixture of teams who are all on an upward trajectory with Chile and South Africa being joined by Asian giants India and Japan. All 4 teams were involved

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3 November 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: Meeting virtually on the eve of the start of the 48th FIH Congress under the chairmanship of FIH Acting President Seif Ahmed, the Executive Board of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) today selected Belgium and the Netherlands to jointly host the 2026 FIH Hockey Women’s and Men’s World Cups simultaneously. The combined event will take place in July or August 2026 in Amsterdam/Amstelveen, Netherlands and Wavre, Belgium, with female and male teams playing in both venues. The proposed format for the match schedule – with one local team, Belgium or the Netherlands, playing each day in order to make sure to fill the venues every day -, the particularly solid financial foundation of this bid – including the support from the host broadcasters – as well as the athletes’ performance and well-being have been instrumental in the EB’s decision. Commenting on the decision, FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “On behalf of FIH, I would like to thank wholeheartedly all National Associations that submitted a bid. We received excellent proposals and it was therefore a particularly challenging task to decide. We’re very much looking forward to working with the National Associations of the current Women’s and Men’s World and Olympic Champions, the Netherlands and Belgium respectively, that will undoubtedly put together outstanding World Cups!” On a different note, the EB received a comprehensive report on the FIH Finances. Thanks to additional income and reduced expenses, the final operational profit for 2022 is expected to be higher than the 500k CHF budgeted. The FIH Hockey Pro League operational result is also positive by 129k for season 3 (2021-22) and is expected to amount to at least 150k for season 4 (2022-23). For 2023, the budget has been approved by the EB. The expected FIH financial result is an operational profit of 1m CHF (including 150k profit from the FIH Hockey Pro League) thanks, to a large extent, to the upcoming FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup in India. The positive evolution of the FIH Hockey Pro League in financial terms is confirmed by its financial result figures: it started from -750k in 2018 (season 0) and -3.5m in 2019 (season 1) to -124k in season 2, +129k for season 3 and +150k for season 4. Therefore, after two difficult years (2018 and 2019), the Pro League finances remained stable in 2020 and 2021 – despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the cancellation of 35% of the matches! – to 2022 and 2023, where the forecast is, as mentioned above, positive. Furthermore, the EB decided that the publication of the audited accounts will now be done annually – rather than after their approval by the bi-annual Congress as is currently the case – while still being approved by the Congress. The EB also confirmed that the winners of the FIH Hockey Pro League in season 5 (2023/2024) and season 6 (2024/2025) will directly qualify for the 2026 FIH Men’s and Women’s World Cups. If the winner of season 6 is already qualified in season 5, the runner-up in season 6 will be offered the direct qualification place. Since the President of the African Hockey Federation (AfHF), Seif Ahmed, was chairing today’s meeting in his capacity of FIH Acting President, the Acting President of AfHF, Nii Quaye-Kumah (Ghana) attended this FIH EB meeting. The next meeting of the FIH Executive Board will take place on 28 January 2023. The 48th FIH Congress will take place virtually on 4 and 5 November. #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please download the Watch.Hockey app or follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and website.