Exciting New Season of FIH Hockey Pro League with Direct World Cup Qualification
The sixth season of the FIH Hockey Pro League promises to be more exciting than ever before, running from November 30, 2024, to June 29, 2025. The winners of this season will earn direct qualification for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup in Netherlands-Belgium.
All participating teams will host matches, promoting fan engagement by playing home games. The match schedule is designed so that each team will play half of their matches in December/February and the other half in June, making it easier for fans to follow.
Spain’s women’s team, winners of the Women’s FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2024, will re-join the Pro League, replacing the USA. On the men’s side, New Zealand and France have opted out, allowing Ireland to stay on for their second consecutive season.
The season will kick off with exciting re-runs of the Paris 2024 men’s final between the Netherlands and Germany and the women’s semi-final between China and Belgium.
Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh expressed his excitement, saying, “We are eagerly looking forward to the new season of the FIH Hockey Pro League, where the world’s top hockey teams compete at the highest level.”
Agostina Alonso from Argentina added, “This tournament is a fantastic opportunity to provide valuable playing time and build confidence in our younger players while strengthening our playing system.”
Top scorer of the last season, Jip Janssen from the Netherlands, said, “Pro League is coming! Cannot wait to start competing with the best teams in the business!”
FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 Stages:
| Location | Dates |
|---|---|
| Hangzhou, China | 30 November – 5 December 2024 |
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | 30 November – 9 December 2024 |
| Santiago del Estero, Argentina | 10-15 December 2024 |
| Sydney, Australia | 4-9 February 2025 |
| Argentina (venue tbc) | 19-24 February 2025 |
| Bhubaneswar (tbc), India | 15-25 February 2025 |
| Valencia, Spain | 7-8 June 2025 |
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | 7-15 June 2025 |
| London, Great Britain | 14-22 June 2025 |
| Antwerp, Belgium | 14-29 June 2025 |
| Berlin, Germany | 21-29 June 2025 |
Doubts Revealed
FIH -: FIH stands for the International Hockey Federation, which is the organization that manages field hockey around the world.
Hockey Pro League -: The Hockey Pro League is a big tournament where the best field hockey teams from different countries compete against each other.
World Cup Qualification -: This means that the winners of the Hockey Pro League will get a direct spot to play in the next Hockey World Cup without having to play extra matches to qualify.
Netherlands-Belgium -: These are two countries in Europe where the 2026 Hockey World Cup will be held.
Fan engagement -: This means making the fans more involved and excited about the matches, like by having games in their own countries.
Spain’s women’s team -: This is the team of female hockey players from Spain who will be playing in the league this season.
USA -: The United States of America, whose women’s team will not be playing in this season.
Ireland’s men’s team -: This is the team of male hockey players from Ireland who will continue to play in the league.
Paris 2024 finals -: These are the final matches of the hockey tournament that will happen at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Harmanpreet Singh -: He is a famous Indian hockey player who is very good at the game.
Agostina Alonso -: She is a well-known female hockey player from Argentina.