Men's FIH Hockey World Cup

"Hockey World Cup" redirects here. Not to be confused with World Cup of Hockey.This article is about the men's field hockey tournament. For the women's tournament, see Women's FIH Hockey World Cup.For other hockey cups, see World Cup (hockey).

Men's FIH Hockey World Cup

Sport	Field hockey
Founded	1971;53 years ago (1971)
Inaugural season	1971
No. of teams	16
Continent	International (FIH)
Most recent champion(s)	Germany (3rd title) (2023)
Most titles	Pakistan (4 titles)
Official website	fih.hockey/world-cup

The Men's FIH Hockey World Cup is an international field hockey competition organised by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The tournament was started in 1971. It is held every four years, bridging the four years between the Summer Olympics. Pakistan is the most successful team, having won the tournament four times. The Netherlands, Australia, and Germany have each won three titles. Belgium and India have both won the tournament once.

The 2023 tournament was held in Bhubaneswar, India from 13 to 29 January. Germany defeated Belgium in a penalty shoot-out 5–4 after the match ended in a 3–3 draw to win their third World Cup title. The World Cup expanded to 16 teams in 2018. ^[1]

History

The Hockey World Cup was first conceived by Pakistan's Air Marshal Nur Khan. He proposed his idea to the FIH through Patrick Rowley, the first editor of World Hockey magazine. Their idea was approved on 26 October 1969 and adopted by the FIH Council at a meeting in Brussels on 12 April 1970. The FIH decided that the inaugural World Cup would be held in October 1971, in Pakistan.

However, political issues would prevent that first competition from being played in Pakistan. The FIH had inadvertently scheduled the first World Cup to be played in Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Furthermore, Pakistan and India had been at war with each other only six years earlier. When Pakistan invited India to compete in the tournament, a crisis arose. Pakistanis, led by cricketer Abdul Hafeez Kardar, protested against India's participation in the Hockey World Cup.

Given the intense political climate between Pakistan and India, the FIH decided to move the tournament elsewhere. In March 1971, coincidentally in the same month Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan, the FIH decided to move the first Hockey World Cup to the Real Club de Polo grounds in Barcelona, Spain, which was considered a neutral and peaceful European site. ^[2]

The FIH has set no requirements or limitations on the size of the competition. The 1971 Cup included only ten nations, the smallest World Cup. The 1978 Cup featured fourteen nations. The 2002, 2018 and 2023 Cups featured sixteen nations. The remaining 10 World Cups have featured 12 nations.

The first three tournaments were held every two years. The 1978 Cup was the only tournament held three years from the previous one. It was halfway between the Summer Olympics hockey competition and has continued that way. In other words, the tournament has been held every four years ever since.

Trophy

The Hockey World Cup trophy was designed by the Bashir Moojid and created by the Pakistani Army. On 27 March 1971, in Brussels, the trophy was formally handed to FIH President Rene Frank by Mr H.E Masood, the Pakistani Ambassador to Belgium. The trophy consists of a silver cup with an intricate floral design, surmounted by a globe of the world in silver and gold, placed on a high blade base inlaid with ivory. At its peak is a model hockey stick and ball. Without its base, the trophy stands 120.85 mm (4.758 in) high. Including the base, the trophy stands 650 mm (26 in). It weighs 11,560  g (408 oz), including 895 g (31.6 oz) of gold, 6,815 g (240.4 oz) of silver, 350 g (12 oz) of ivory and 3,500 g (120 oz) of teak. ^[3]

Format

The Hockey World Cup consists of a qualification stage and a final tournament stage. The format for each stage is the same.

Qualification

The qualification stage has been a part of the Hockey World Cup since 1977. All participating teams play in the qualification round. The teams divide into two or more pools and compete for a berth in the final tournament. The top two teams are automatically qualified and the rest of the berths are decided in playoffs.

Final tournament

The final tournament features the continental champions and other qualified teams. Sometimes it also features the winners of the Summer Olympics' hockey competition or the continental runners-up. The teams divide into pools once more and play a round robin tournament. The composition of the pools is determined using the current FIH World Rankings.

Results

Summaries

Year	Host		Final				Third place match				Number of teams
			Winner	Score	Runner-up		Third place	Score	Fourth place
1971 Details	Barcelona, Spain		Pakistan	1–0	Spain		India	2–1 after extra time	Kenya		10
1973 Details	Amstelveen, Netherlands		Netherlands	2–2 (4–2) penalty strokes	India		West Germany	1–0	Pakistan		12
1975 Details	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		India	2–1	Pakistan		West Germany	4–0	Malaysia		12
1978 Details	Buenos Aires, Argentina		Pakistan	3–2	Netherlands		Australia	4–3	West Germany		14
1982 Details	Bombay, India		Pakistan	3–1	West Germany		Australia	4–2	Netherlands		12
1986 Details	London, England		Australia	2–1	England		West Germany	3–2 after extra time	Soviet Union		12
1990 Details	Lahore, Pakistan		Netherlands	3–1	Pakistan		Australia	2–1 after extra time	West Germany		12
1994 Details	Sydney, Australia		Pakistan	1–1 (4–3) penalty strokes	Netherlands		Australia	5–2	Germany		12
1998 Details	Utrecht, Netherlands		Netherlands	3–2 after extra time	Spain		Germany	1–0	Australia		12
2002 Details	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		Germany	2–1	Australia		Netherlands	2–1 after extra time	South Korea		16
2006 Details	Mönchengladbach, Germany		Germany	4–3	Australia		Spain	3–2 after extra time	South Korea		12
2010 Details	New Delhi, India		Australia	2–1	Germany		Netherlands	4–3	England		12
2014 Details	The Hague, Netherlands		Australia	6–1	Netherlands		Argentina	2–0	England		12
2018 Details	Bhubaneswar, India		Belgium	0–0 (3–2) penalty shootout	Netherlands		Australia	8–1	England		16
2023 Details	Bhubaneswar & Rourkela, India		Germany	3–3 (5–4) penalty shootout	Belgium		Netherlands	3–1	Australia		16
2026 Details	Wavre, Belgium & Amstelveen, Netherlands										16

Successful national teams

Twenty seven teams have qualified for a Hockey World Cup. Of these, thirteen teams have made it to the semifinals. Eight teams have made it through to the finals.

To date, the most successful teams are Pakistan, with four titles from six final appearances, the Netherlands, with three titles from seven final appearances, Germany and Australia with three titles from five final appearances, while India and Belgium won their lone titles in 1975 and 2018, respectively.

Below is a list of teams that have finished in the top four positions in the tournament:

Teams reaching the top four

Team	Champions	Runners-up	Third place	Fourth place
Pakistan	4 (1971, 1978, 1982, 1994)	2 (1975, 1990*)		1 (1973)
Netherlands	3 (1973*, 1990, 1998*)	4 (1978, 1994, 2014*, 2018)	3 (2002, 2010, 2023)	1 (1982)
Australia	3 (1986, 2010, 2014)	2 (2002, 2006)	5 (1978, 1982, 1990, 1994*, 2018)	2 (1998, 2023)
Germany^	3 (2002, 2006*, 2023)	2 (1982, 2010)	4 (1973, 1975, 1986, 1998)	3 (1978, 1990, 1994)
India	1 (1975)	1 (1973)	1 (1971)
Belgium	1 (2018)	1 (2023)
Spain		2 (1971*, 1998)	1 (2006)
England		1 (1986*)		3 (2010, 2014, 2018)
Argentina			1 (2014)
South Korea				2 (2002, 2006)
Kenya				1 (1971)
Malaysia				1 (1975*)
Soviet Union#				1 (1986)

* = host country

^ = includes results representing West Germany between 1971 and 1990

# = states that have since split into two or more independent countries

Performance by host nations

Nine nations have hosted the Hockey World Cup. Only the Netherlands (1973 and 1998) and Germany (2006) have won the tournament as hosts. Spain, England, and Pakistan emerged as host runners-up in the 1971, 1986 and 1990 tournaments. Australia placed third when it hosted the 1994 tournament in Sydney.

Performance by continental zones

To date, the finals of the Hockey World Cup have been contested by Asian, European and Oceania continental teams. European teams have won the most with six titles, followed by Asian teams with five titles. Australia is the only team from Oceania to win the tournament. Neither the Americas nor Africa have ever won the title.

Continent	Best performance
Europe	7 titles, won by the Netherlands (3), Germany (3) and Belgium (1)
Asia	5 titles, won by Pakistan (4) and India (1)
Oceania	3 titles, won by Australia
Americas	Third place (Argentina, 2014)
Africa	Fourth place (Kenya, 1971)

Team appearances

Team	1971	1973	1975	1978	1982	1986	1990	1994	1998	2002	2006	2010	2014	2018	2023	2026	Total
Argentina	10th	9th	11th	8th	12th	6th	9th	7th	–	6th	10th	7th	3rd	7th	9th		14
Australia	8th	–	5th	3rd	3rd	1st	3rd	3rd	4th	2nd	2nd	1st	1st	3rd	4th		14
Belarus	Part of the Soviet Union							12th	–	–	–	–	–	–	–		1
Belgium	–	8th	–	14th	–	–	–	11th	–	14th	–	–	5th	1st	2nd	Q	8
Canada	–	–	–	11th	–	10th	11th	–	8th	–	–	11th	–	11th	–		6
Chile	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	15th		1
China	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	10th	–		1
Cuba	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	16th	–	–	–	–	–		1
England	–	6th	6th	7th	8th	2nd	5th	6th	6th	7th	5th	4th	4th	4th	5th		14
France	7th	–	–	–	–	–	7th	–	–	–	–	–	–	8th	13th		4
Germany^	5th	3rd	3rd	4th	2nd	3rd	4th	4th	3rd	1st	1st	2nd	6th	5th	1st		15
Ghana	–	–	12th	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–		1
India	3rd	2nd	1st	6th	5th	12th	10th	5th	9th	10th	11th	8th	9th	6th	9th		15
Ireland	–	–	–	12th	–	–	12th	–	–	–	–	–	–	14th	–		3
Italy	–	–	–	13th	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–		1
Japan	9th	10th	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	12th	9th	–	–	–	15th		5
Kenya	4th	12th	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–		2
Malaysia	–	11th	4th	10th	10th	–	–	–	11th	8th	–	–	12th	15th	13th		9
Netherlands	6th	1st	9th	2nd	4th	7th	1st	2nd	1st	3rd	7th	3rd	2nd	2nd	3rd	Q	16
New Zealand	–	7th	7th	–	7th	9th	–	–	10th	9th	8th	9th	7th	9th	7th		11
Pakistan	1st	4th	2nd	1st	1st	11th	2nd	1st	5th	5th	6th	12th	–	12th	–		13
Poland	–	–	10th	9th	8th	8th	–	–	12th	15th	–	–	–	–	–		6
South Africa	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	10th	–	13th	12th	10th	11th	16th	11th		7
South Korea	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	8th	7th	4th	4th	6th	10th	–	8th		7
Soviet Union#	–	–	–	–	6th	4th	6th	Defunct									3
Spain	2nd	5th	8th	5th	11th	5th	8th	9th	2nd	11th	3rd	5th	8th	13th	6th		15
Wales	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	11th		1
Total	10	12	12	14	12	12	12	12	12	16	12	12	12	16	16	16

^ = includes results representing West Germany between 1971 and 1990

# = states that have since split into two or more independent nations

Germany, India, the Netherlands and Spain are the only teams to have competed at each World Cup; 27 teams have competed in at least one World Cup.

Debut of teams

Year	Debuting teams			Successor and renamed teams
	Teams	No.	CT
1971	Argentina,   Australia,   France,   India,   Japan,   Kenya,   Netherlands,   Pakistan,   Spain,   West Germany^	10	10
1973	Belgium,   England,   New Zealand,   Malaysia	4	14
1975	Ghana,   Poland	2	16
1978	Canada,   Ireland,   Italy	3	19
1982	Soviet Union#	1	20
1986		0	20
1990		0	20
1994	Belarus#,   South Africa,   South Korea	3	23	Germany
1998		0	23
2002	Cuba	1	24
2006		0	24
2010		0	24
2014		0	24
2018	China	1	25
2023	Wales,   Chile	2	27

^ = Germany is a successor of West Germany and not a separate team.

# = Belarus was a part of Soviet Union but not successor, hence Belarus is a new separate entity.

Total number of teams which have participated in the World Cups through 2018 is 25, using FIH's view on successor teams

See also

• Field hockey at the Summer Olympics
• Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup
• Men's Indoor Hockey World Cup
• Women's FIH Hockey World Cup

References

1. "World Cup field to expand to 16 teams in 2018". FIH. 2012-11-01. Archived from the original on 2013-07-13. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
2. "World Cup Hockey". Archived from the original on 2006-06-14. Retrieved 2006-08-02.
3. "The World Cup — A Masterpiece". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2006-08-15.

External links

• Official website