The FIH announced a review of the World Cup qualification system on its website on Tuesday.

The change comes in wake of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic postponement to next year because of the Covid-19 pandemic which has caused havoc with event schedules all over the world.

In particular, the postponement of the Olympics has caused the Continental championships to be rescheduled, necessitating the change, the FIH explained.

A strong emphasis on the Continental championships marks the new format.

In addition to the usual criterion of the hosts booking an automatic slot in the World Cup and five continental championship winners joining them in the 16-nation event, the FIH has increased the continental quotas to fill some of the remaining slots at the World Cup by another six.

The FIH explained in its communiqué: “The new format includes an increase of the quota places available through Continental Championships from 6 (the five Continental Champions + the World Cup hosts) to 11 (including the World Cup hosts); these Continental quotas will be filled based on the final rankings at the relevant 2021 Continental Championships (see allocation of Continental quotas below).”

he FIH added, “The format also includes the organization of FIH qualification events (in March 2022) for the remaining 5 places; for those events, the Continental quotas will be confirmed at a later stage.”

Placings at the now defunct Hockey World League determined the field for the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar after hosts India and continental champions booked direct berths.

A new format succeeded it and was used for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualification process but the global situation in the wake of the pandemic has compelled the FIH to replace it.

A complex but well-received format that involved the FIH Pro League, the FIH Series Finals, Continental championship winners, FIH Rankings and the hosts as direct qualifiers, culminated in the Olympic Qualifiers.

The Olympic Qualifiers were head-to-head double-leg matches hosted by the nation enjoying a higher FIH Ranking.

The winners filled seven remaining places at Tokyo after hosts Japan and continental champions booked direct tickets to the Games.

The FIH based in Lausanne, Switzerland, reviewed the qualification process for the 2022/ 2023 World Cups after consulting the Continental Federations and the FIH Athletes Committee.

The world body determined the allocation of Continental quotas from the 2021 Continental Championships (plus the World Cup hosts) as follows:

Women (World Cup to be hosted by Terrassa, Spain, and Amstelveen, The Netherlands, July 1-17, 2022):

• Africa 1
• Asia 2
• Europe 4 (including 2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup hosts The Netherlands and Spain)
• Oceania 2
• PanAm 2

Men (World Cup to be hosted by Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, India, Jan 13-29, 2023):

• Africa 1
• Asia 3 (including 2023 FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup hosts India)
• Europe 4
• Oceania 2
• PanAm 1