England & India Awarded 2018 Hockey World Cups

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) have announced England and India will host the Hockey World Cups in 2018. 

England Hockey won the hosting rights to the women’s showpiece, with Hockey India winning the race to host the men’s equivalent.

The announcements were made by FIH President Leandro Negre at a special ceremony at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland on Thursday evening.

“I wish to offer my sincere congratulations to England Hockey and Hockey India on their successful bids to host the Hockey World Cups 2018”, said Mr Negre. “The quality of both bids was truly extraordinary, and the FIH is greatly looking forward to bringing its top properties to England and India. I would also like to congratulate all of the National Associations that submitted bids for these events. The standard was exceptionally high, making the decision extremely hard for the FIH Executive Board.”

Both the Men’s and Women’s Hockey World Cups 2018 will feature an increased 16-nation field of participants, confirming the growing interest and development of the sport.

“The decision certainly was not an easy one to make”, said FIH Chief Executive Officer Kelly Fairweather, reflecting on the bidding process. “All of the bids that we received were exceptional, being completely in line with our strategy to deliver the most entertaining, exciting and inspiring hockey events in the world. The FIH Executive Board were hugely impressed by the bids from England Hockey and Hockey India, and are convinced that both National Associations will deliver absolutely magnificent tournaments.”

England Hockey Chairman Philip Kimberley commented: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have secured the World Cup. It’s of huge importance to us as we look to build our momentum and increase the visibility of our sport. We have an excellent track record of driving interest and participation through major events, and hosting world-level events of such significance means we can continue our sustained effort to get more people playing and watching our sport, and in particular deliver a legacy of female participation in hockey. My thanks go to all concerned who worked with us on the bids.”

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