New hockey World Cup format presents an arduous path

The new format of the upcoming FIH men’s and women’s World Cups in the Netherlands and Belgium presents teams with a challenging path to the final.

While the 16 teams will be divided into four groups of four, there will be no quarterfinal stage, which had a shortlived existence in the 2018 and 2022/2023 editions.

The Indian men have been placed in Pool D alongside England, Pakistan and Wales while the women’s team will battle it out against China, England and South Africa in Pool D.

The top two sides from each pool will progress to the second stage, which will be split into two groups of four. The top two there will qualify for the semifinals.

If the India men’s team or one of England/Pakistan/Wales go through to the second round, they will be paired with the top two sides from Pool A. In this scenario, India’s result against the other team which advances from its pool, will be carried forward into the second stage.

The Indian men’s team head coach, Craig Fulton, stressed the need for a strong start.

“The format has obviously changed drastically — from having quarterfinals to not having them. So the emphasis on the pool games is really, really important, because it’s obviously the top two that will go through. And the head-to-head result between those two teams matters: if one beats the other, those three points carry into the next round, and that puts you in the driving seat to get out of the next group and into the semifinals,” said Fulton.

Sjoerd Marijne, the Indian women’s team head coach, felt the new format robbed the tournaments of the excitement of an additional knockout game.

“It’s an interesting schedule, but my preference is to have quarterfinals in a tournament format. The higher-ranked teams will prefer this, but I think quarterfinals are among the most exciting matches,” said Marjine.