India take on The Netherlands in the Pro League men’s opener on January 18, 2020, the FIH announced on Wednesday. The teams will clash again the next day in a double header with the Dutch as per the revised regulations after the inaugural Pro League.

India will play the Dutch twice away in the third edition – a format to save costs and travel time and reduce the impact on the environment.

India then entertain Belgium (Feb 8-9), Australia (Feb 22-23) and New Zealand (May 23-25) as part of their home commitments in the nine-nation league.
Away matches take India to Germany (April 25-26), Great Britain (May 2-3), Argentina (June 5-6) and Spain (June 13-14).

Belgium host the Netherlands in the concluding fixtures on June 26 and 28.
China play the women’s opener at home against the Netherlands on Jan 11 and 12 and Belgium host Netherlands for the concluding fixtures on June 26 and 28.

India withdrew from the inaugural Pro League earlier this year in solidarity with the decision taken by the national federation to not field a team.

Hockey India reasoned that the Pro League route was tougher than the other channels towards Olympic qualification for the women’s team and it’s still uncertain whether or not they will enter future Pro League competitions.

The men’s competition suffered another setback when Pakistan pulled out for want of finances.
The field was reduced to eight on a home and away round-robin league with the top four qualifying for the playoffs termed the Grand Final held in Amstelveen, the Netherlands.
Australia clinched the men’s title beating Belgium 3-2 in the final. The Netherlands took bronze at the expense of Great Britain, winning 5-3.

The women’s title went to the Netherlands who beat Australia in a shootout. Germany got the better of Argentina, also in a shootout.

Draws in the round-robin phase fetched a point each for the teams concerned and the winners of the ensuing shootout picked up a bonus point.

The top four finishers qualify for the Olympic qualifying playoffs but could seal a direct spot in the Games by winning their respective continental championships.

The vacant spots would be filled on the basis of FIH rankings.

The Grand Final involving the top four finishers however has been deleted from the schedule and the final standings will be determined purely by the round-robin league.