Belgium will host the men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship for the second time with Leuven’s Sportoase named the venue for the event which runs from February 1st to 4th 2024.
The competition will feature ten of the continent’s top teams; reigning European and World Cup champions Austria are in Pool A along with Germany, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Spain while hosts Belgium are grouped in Pool B with World Cup finalists the Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland and Croatia.
Serge Pilet, CEO Hockey Belgium, is delighted with the news: “With the cancellation of the Indoor World Cup in Liège in 2021 due to covid, the visibility of indoor hockey in Belgium needed a new boost to support the growth of the sport in our country.
“The organisation of the EuroHockey Indoor Men’s Championship in the Sportoase venue in Leuven will give us the perfect opportunity to showcase indoor hockey at its best and the enthusiasm the Belgian and European public have for this great hockey variation.
“With this organisation, Hockey Belgium intends once again to show its capacity to organise top-notch and innovative hockey events. I’m convinced that, with the collaboration of EHF, the club of KHC Leuven and the city of Leuven, we will be able to make it an unforgettable edition of the indoor Euros”
Leuven’s Sportoase in use for a tennis event
Belgium hosted the 2018 edition of this event in spectacular style at the Lotto Arena in Antwerp where they won a silver medal.
They are now looking forward to a packed crowd spurring on their side and to build on their fifth-place finish at January’s Indoor World Cup in South Africa.
Serge Pilet added: “After the beautiful results of the Belgian men at the Indoor World Cup at the beginning of this year, our Indoor Red Lions are very happy to be able to play in front of their home supporters this time.”
The event will begin a busy fortnight of international EuroHockey indoor tournaments.
The women’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship had previously been confirmed to take place in Germany in 2024 with Berlin the venue for the event which will take place from February 8-11, 2024.
In addition, Portugal will be the country for the men’s Indoor Championship II-A event and Hungary welcomes Championship II-B, the first time the country will host an event of this kind.
On the women’s side, Ireland will also host their first ever EuroHockey Indoor Championship event with Galway’s Kingfisher Sports Centre the venue for Championship II.
Men’s Indoor Championship – Leuven (BEL), Sportoase Leuven – 1-4 February 2024
Pool A: AUT, CZE, GER, UKR, ESP
Pool B: NED, BEL, SUI, POL, CRO
Men’s Indoor Championship II-A – Paredes (POR), Pavilhão Multiusos – 2-4 February 2024
One Pool: POR, DEN, RUS (*excluded for the foreseeable future), IRL, CYP, LTU, NOR
Men’s Indoor Championship II-B – Budapest (HUN), Soroksári Sportcsarnok – 2-4 February 2024
One Pool: TUR, ITA, BLR (*excluded for the foreseeable future), SVK, SRB, GRE, HUN
Women’s Indoor Championship – Berlin (GER), Horst Kober Halle – 8-11 February 2024
Pool A: NED, AUT, GER, SUI, TUR
Pool B: CZE, UKR, BEL, POL, ESP
Women’s Indoor Championship II – Galway (IRL), Kingfisher Sports Centre – 9-11 February 2024
One Pool: IRL, ITA, SVK, POR, CRO, LTU, BLR (*excluded for the foreseeable future), RUS (*excluded for the foreseeable future),
EHF/ May 24, 2023
