FIH Increases 2018 World Cup to 16 Teams Instead of 24

The International Hockey Federation’s executive board (EB) decided in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to increase the number of participating nations at the 2018 World Cup to 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams.

Earlier, FIH president Leandro Negre had said in a press conference that he would like to see 24 teams for the World Cup, but the EB decided 16 was enough.

However, the EB will look into the possibility of increasing the field to 24 teams for each gender for the 2022 edition.

“The 16-team format is the best decision for the sport,” said FIH president Leandro Negre.

“We have so many quality teams in the top-20 of our world ranking that it will still be quite competitive to earn a berth to the World Cup even with the expanded field.

“This is a testament to the global development of hockey.”