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The sixth season of the FIH Hockey Pro League promises to be more exciting than ever before with the tournament set to take place from November 30 this year to June 29 next year.
The winners of the "League of the Best", women and men, will get no less than a direct qualification for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup Netherlands-Belgium, as per a press release from FIH. Also, after a couple of seasons where only some teams hosted matches, all participating teams* will host matches this time, therefore promoting one of the original principles of the creation of Pro League--i.e., connecting teams and athletes with their own fans by playing home matches. Furthermore, the match schedule has been defined in such a way that each team will play half of their matches in December/February and the other half in June. This will make the League far easier to follow, especially for all hockey fans around the world. In terms of the participating teams, the winners of the Women's FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2024, Spain, will re-join the Pro League, after a first spell in the 2021-22 season, where the RedSticks finished 5th. They are replacing the USA, who've been relegated. On the men's side, New Zealand, despite winning the last edition of the Nations Cup, have decided not to join this time. France, runners-up of that same Nations Cup, have made the same decision. Consequently, Ireland, finishing on the last spot of their inaugural FIH Hockey Pro League last season, will not be relegated and will play their second consecutive Pro League season. A "re-run" of the Paris 2024 men's final between the Netherlands and Germany and of the Paris 2024 women's semi-final between China and Belgium, in Amsterdam and Hangzhou respectively, will open the season in style. Indian men's hockey team captain and Paris 2024 Bronze medallist Harmanpreet Singh said: "We are eagerly looking forward to the new season of the FIH Hockey Pro League, where the world's top hockey teams compete at the highest level. This tournament showcases the best of international hockey, and we cannot wait to get started. What makes this season particularly special for us is that the winners of this season will secure a direct qualification for the Men's and Women's FIH Hockey World Cup 2026, adding even more motivation to our campaign." Agostina Alonso, Bronze medallist in Paris with Las Leonas said: "Argentina's expectations are always high. We love to compete and try to give our best in every match. This tournament is a fantastic opportunity to provide valuable playing time and build confidence in our younger players while strengthening our playing system. What we enjoy most is traveling together. We have a great group, and we truly cherish the moments we share both on and off the field." The top scorer of the last FIH Hockey Pro League season, and Paris 2024 Gold medallist Jip Janssen (Netherlands) said: "Pro League is coming! Cannot wait to start competing with the best teams in the business!". FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 stages: -Hangzhou, China (30 November - 5 December 2024)-Amsterdam, Netherlands (30 November - 9 December 2024)-Santiago del Estero, Argentina (10-15 December 2024)-Sydney, Australia (4-9 February 2025)-Argentina (19-24 February 2025) - venue tbc-Bhubaneswar (tbc), India (15-25 February 2025)-Valencia, Spain (7-8 June 2025)-Amsterdam, Netherlands (7-15 June 2025)-London, Great Britain (14-22 June 2025)-Antwerp, Belgium (14-29 June 2025)-Berlin, Germany (21-29 June 2025). (ANI)
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