So what is the Hockey World League?
In a nutshell the Hockey World League is a new global league that provides a unique opportunity for teams to get ranking points and possiby qualify for the 2014 World Cup and/or the Olympics.
Extract from www.fih.ch:
"The Hockey World League has four rounds, running from August 2012 to February 2014. Each round acts as a qualifier for the next giving every team the potential to go all the way to the final.
With twelve qualification spots for the 2014 World Cup at stake, the Hockey World League promises epic clashes and breath-taking action leaving its mark on hockey around the world. Limits are tested and new talent unleashed. Only the strongest survive."
How does it work?
You can see just how this works by clicking here.
How many will qualify from this Tournament?
Only one Men's and one Women's team will qualify out of this Suva tournament out of the four competing:
Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu.
Who can they expect to meet in the Second Round?
The final format for the Second Round has not been finalised by FIH but indications are that the competition will be played in 4 events with 6 teams competing in each event.
The qualifying Men's and women's team from the Suva event will travel to India to compete in the 2nd round.
Men's teams qualified to compete in the 2nd round include Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Chile, Egypt, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine and the United States of America.
Women's teams that have qualified include Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Russia, Scotland, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine and Uruguay.
Who have prequalified for the 3rd Round?
8 men's and women's teams have prequalified for Round 3, the semifinal of the FIH Hockey World League. They will be joined by the top two teams from the 4 events held in round 2. Men's teams which have prequalified include: Australia, England, Germany, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan and Spain. The 8 women prequalifiers include Argentina, Australia, China, England, Germany, Korea, Netherlands and New Zealand,
We hope that this has given you some insight into the tournament and how it works. For any further information or results of other Round 1 tournaments, go the FIH website by clicking here.
