Hockey World League Final: India to face Australia in the opener

09/07/2017

India has been handed a tough draw in the Hockey World League Finals and will face current world champions Australia in the first match at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneshwar. India will also face the reigning Olympic bronze medallist Germany and England in the other two matches.

According to the schedule announced by the International Hockey Federation, India have been placed in the Pool A and will open their campaign against Australia on December 1 before facing England (December 2) and Germany (December 4). Pool A, meanwhile, consists of Olympic champions Argentina, European champions Netherlands, Olympic silver medallist Belgium and Spain. Germany and England will open the competition at the Kalinga Stadium before India face Australia.

Germany and England will play the tournament opener at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, which will also host 2018 World Cup.

December 2 is going to see some high-octane clashes as the 2016 Olympic finalists Argentina and Belgium will lock horns in the afternoon along with India and England clash in the evening.

The Pool stages will take place from December 1-5, followed by the quarter-finals on December 6-7. Further, the semi-finals will be held over the next two days before the bronze medal match and the final on December 10.

Pools:

Pool A: Argentina, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain

Pool B: Australia, India, Germany, England