ISLAMABAD: The draw to determine the pools of the upcoming FIH Men’s World Cup 2023 would be held on Sept 8.

A ceremony in this regard would be held at the Convention Centre, Lok Sewa Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.

The pinnacle of the FIH men’s tournaments would be held from Jan 13 to 29, 2023 which involves 16 participating national teams, said a press release.

Those include India, as the hosts of the competition, whilst Malaysia, Japan and Korea were the other Asian teams. Africa was represented by South Africa, recent winners of the Africa Cup of Nations. From Europe, the following teams have qualified: Belgium, England, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, France and Wales. Argentina and Chile were the two American teams having booked their ticket for the tournament, while Australia and New Zealand, from Oceania, complete the draw.

The four top teams which include hosts India, Australia, Belgium and Netherlands would be placed on the first row of their corresponding pools based on the FIH world rankings as per June 1, 2022.

The draw would start with Row 4 of each Pool, involving South Africa, Wales, Japan and Chile. It would then continue with Row 3 of each Pool (involving Spain, Malaysia, France and Korea) and conclude with Row 2 of each Pool (with Germany, England, Argentina and New Zealand).

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2022