LAUSANNE, Aug 19: On the completion of the men’s Pan American Cup 2013 in Brampton, Canada, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has announced that South Korea are confirmed as qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup.

The joint men and women’s World Cup takes place at the Kyocera Stadium in The Hague, Netherlands from May 31 to June 15.

South Korea, who just missed out on direct World Cup qualification by finishing fourth at the recent World Hockey League (WHL) semi-final in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, were promoted from first reserves to guaranteed participants courtesy of Argentina’s success in the Pan American continental championship on Saturday.

Like all the continental championships, the big prize on offer at the men’s Pan American Cup was direct qualification for the 2014 World Cup.

However, with Argentina having already qualified for the World Cup qualification thanks to a second-place finish at the WHL semi-final, a World Cup ticket was immediately handed to the first reserves South Korea.

South Korea became the eighth team to qualify for the men’s World Cup, with four more places up for grabs at the upcoming continental championships in Europe, Asia, Oceania and Africa.—Agencies