The 2010 Hockey World Cup will be the twelfth instalment of the Men's Hockey World Cup. On November 14, 2007, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced that the championship would be held in India, taking place over two weeks from Feb 28 to March 13, 2010 at New Delhi's Dhyan Chand National Stadium.[1]
India's hosting of the event was put in doubt, however, when the FIH reviewed the progress of the Indian Hockey Federation's "Promoting Indian Hockey" program and India's preparation for the championship, and warned that "satisfactory progress had not been made in either area".[2] India was warned it could lose the right to host the World Cup unless satisfactory progress was made.[3] It was confirmed on July 18, 2008 that International Hockey Federation formally awarded the hosting rights to India.[4]
Teams
Twelve teams in total will complete in the tournament.[5] To qualify, each continental champion from five confederations and the host received an automatic berth. The remaining three places were determined by qualification tournaments, with the winner of each progressing to the World Cup.
Three World Cup qualifying tournaments were held in 2009. Pakistan won the first tournament which was held in Lille, France from October 31 to November 8, 2009. The hosts, New Zealand, won the second tournament held in Invercargill, from November 7 to November 15, 2009 [6]. The third tournament which was played in Quilmes, Argentina from November 14 to November 22, 2009 [7]
was won by the hosts, Argentina.