The Semi-Final phase really is the business end of the Hockey World League, where those coveted places at the Rio 2016 Olympics are available. The Semi-Finals consist of two ten-team events, with the top three finishers at each event winning a ticket to Rio 2016. The nine qualifiers from Round 2 are joined in the Semi-Final phase by the teams ranked from 1-11 at the time of seeking entries all entering the fray.
The Argentina Hockey World League Semi-Final takes place from 3-14 June 2015 in Buenos Aires and features a stellar line-up. Current Olympic and European champions Germany are joined by World Cup Silver medalists, The Netherlands as well as host nation and World Cup Bronze medalists Argentina, New Zealand, Korea and Spain. Competing alongside these recognized giants are Japan, Canada, Egypt and Austria, teams who all qualified by achieving top 3 finishes at the Round 2 events and will be determined to make their mark in the Semi-Final.
The FINTRO Hockey World League Semi-Final will be played in Antwerp, Belgium from 20 June to 5 July as part of a spectacular joint men’s and women’s event. The men’s event features reigning World Champions Australia lining up alongside Great Britain, host nation Belgium, India and Pakistan, with Malaysia, Ireland, France, Poland and China all qualifying for the Semi-Finals thanks to excellent displays in Round 2. It promises to be a truly fascinating event.
The line-ups for the women’s Hockey World League Semi-Final tournaments in Valencia (ESP) and Antwerp (BEL) will be revealed upon the completion of the HWL Round 2 event currently being played in Dublin (IRL).
To learn more about how the teams progress through the competition in the hope of reaching the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, click here.
Source material: FIH.CH
Photograph: Current European and Olympic Champions, Germany (Frank Uijlenbroek (c))