The most-awaited International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey5s World Cup, the very first in hockey’s global history, is just around the corner! On January 24, 2024, 16 women’s teams from around the world will all be vying to become the first ever Hockey5s World Champions when the action starts in Muscat, Oman, in a brand-new and state-of-the-art hockey stadium! The men will follow on January 28, for another four days of intense competition!
The draw held on September 3 of this year has determined the following Pools:
Women:
Pool A: Fiji, Malaysia, Netherlands, Oman
Pool B: Australia, South Africa, Ukraine, Zambia
Pool C: India, Namibia, Poland, United States
Pool D: New Zealand, Paraguay, Thailand, Uruguay
Men:
Pool A: Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland
Pool B: Egypt, India, Jamaica, Switzerland
Pool C: Australia, Kenya, New Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago
Pool D: Fiji, Malaysia, Oman, United States
Following the conclusion of the pool phase, the top eight teams (top two in each pool) will proceed to the quarter finals to compete to become the inaugural FIH Hockey5s World Champions. However, upon an initiative from FIH President Tayyab Ikram and as a sign of encouragement, those teams not qualifying for the quarter finals will still have a chance to compete for a trophy, namely the FIH Hockey5s “Challenger Trophy”, awarded to the team who finish 9th overall.
Whilst Hockey5s is no longer a new format, FIH decided to boost it a couple of years ago, in order to maximise its great potential to grow hockey, especially in nations where infrastructure and other resources are challenging. And indeed, some of the participating nations will play their first ever FIH World Cup!
As its name suggests, Hockey5s is played with five athletes per team. It is particularly known for its non-stop end-to-end action, since the ball is in play for about 90% of a match, thanks to rebound-boards placed against the outside of the side-lines and back-lines. There are usually more goals with Hockey5s than with the more traditional 11-a-side format of hockey, since players can score from anywhere after the attacking line. Furthermore, Hockey5s is played on a smaller pitch, which enables to bring hockey to new venues, even at the heart of the cities. Young, urban, fun, this is Hockey5s!
For the latest news and a complete information about the FIH Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024 (24-31 January), please click here.
To purchase your tickets for the event, please click here.
All matches will be streamed live on Watch.Hockey. Don’t miss out!
by NCAA
