FIH Olympic Qualification tournaments for hockey: Men’s preview, schedule and how to watch

The situation is simple for the nations competing in the upcoming men’s Olympic hockey qualifiers in Valencia and Muscat. Reach the podium and your nation will obtain a quota for Paris 2024.

Four nations have already qualified for Paris, including hosts France and continental champions Australia, Netherlands and India. A further six will be added to the list at the conclusion of the FIH Olympic Qualification tournaments, the three highest placed in Valencia and the three highest placed in Muscat.

Sounds easy? It won’t be. Many of the best teams in the world will be battling for superiority and those vital tickets to the Olympics.

When and where will the men’s FIH Olympic Qualification tournaments for hockey take place?

The first men’s qualifier kicks off in Valencia, Spain on 13 January and ends on 21 January. Just two days later on 15 January, the Muscat qualifier begins with the tournament ending on 21 January.

What is the format of the men’s hockey Olympic qualifiers?

For each tournament, the competing nations will be split into two pools as follows:

Valencia men’s pool A:

Belgium, Ireland, Japan, Ukraine

Valencia men’s pool B:

Spain, Republic of Korea, Austria, Egypt

Muscat men’s pool A:

Great Britain, Malaysia, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China

Muscat men’s pool B:

Germany, New Zealand, Canada, Chile

From there, the top two teams from the pool stage will reach the semi-finals with the finals and third place matches in each pool deciding the top three teams that will receive an Olympic quota.

Nations to watch in the FIH Olympic Qualification tournaments

Great Britain’s men will be among the favourites to secure an Olympic quota in Muscat after winning silver at the EuroHockey Championships. They can rely on the talents of players such as Nick Bandurak, who has scored 42 goals at international level over the past two years. Pakistan are also a team to watch in the pool and will be desperate to make Paris after failing to qualify for Tokyo 2020.

In Pool B, the favourites will be Germany, who narrowly missed out on a medal at Tokyo 2020 after their defeat to India in the bronze medal match.

Men’s Pool A in Valencia features Olympic champions Belgium who will be strong favourites to progress to obtain a quota. In Pool B, Spain and Republic of Korea will be tipped to make it to the latter stages of the tournament with both currently among the top-10 ranked nations in the world.

FIH Olympic Qualification men’s tournaments schedule

Muscat Pool A

15 January 

18:00: Malaysia vs China

20:00: Great Britain vs Pakistan 

16 January 

18:00: Pakistan vs China

20:00: Malaysia vs Great Britain

18 January 

18:00: Great Britain vs China

20:00: Pakistan vs Malaysia 

Muscat Pool B

15 January 

14:00: Germany vs Canada

16:00: New Zealand vs Chile 

16 January 

14:00: Canada vs Chile

16:00: New Zealand vs Germany 

18 January 

14:00: Germany vs Chile

16:00: Canada vs New Zealand 

Crossover

20 January 

13:00: C1: 3rd Pool A vs 4th Pool B

15:15: C2: 3rd Pool B vs 4th Pool A

Seventh and eighth place match

21 January 

13:00: Loser C1 vs Loser C2

Fifth and sixth place match 

21 January 

15:15: Winner C1 vs Winner C2

Semi-final 1

20 January

18:00: 1st Pool A vs 2nd Pool B

Semi-final 2:

20 January 

20:15: 1st Pool B vs 2nd Pool A

Third place match

18:00: Loser of semi-final 1 vs loser of semi-final 2

Final 

21 January 

20:15: Winner of semi-final 1 vs winner of semi-final 2

Valencia Pool A

14 January 

18:30: Belgium vs Japan

20:45: Ireland vs Ukraine 

15 January

17:00: Japan vs Ukraine 

19:15: Ireland vs Belgium 

17 January 

17:00: Belgium vs Ukraine 

19:15: Japan vs Ireland 

Valencia Pool B

13 January

14:00: Spain vs Austria 

16:15: Republic of Korea vs Egypt

14 January

14:00: Republic of Korea vs Spain

16:15: Austria vs Egypt

17 January 

12:00: Spain vs Egypt 

14:15: Austria vs Republic of Korea 

Crossover 

19 January 2024

10:00: C1: 3rd Pool A vs 4th Pool B

18:00: C2: 3rd Pool B vs 4th Pool A

Seventh and eighth place match 

21 January

10:00: Loser C1 vs Loser C2

Fifth and sixth place match 

12:30: Winner C1 vs Winner C2

Semi-final 1

19 January 

12:30: 1st Pool B vs 2nd Pool A

Semi-final 2

15:30: 1st Pool A vs 2nd Pool B

Third and fourth place match 

21 January 

15:30: Loser of semi-final 1 vs loser of semi-final 2

Final

21 January 

18:00

Winner of semi-final 1 vs winner of semi-final 2

How to watch the men’s FIH Olympic Qualification tournaments for hockey

Every one of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier matches will be streamed live on Watch.Hockey.

For a more detailed list of broadcasters visit the official International Hockey Federation website.