FIH Pro League 2023-24: Australia crowned men's champions; qualify for 2026 Hockey World Cup

The Australian men’s hockey team emerged as the FIH Pro League 2023-24 champions. Courtesy of the victory, the Kookaburras also sealed their berth in the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026, to be held in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Australia finished top of the FIH Pro League 2023-24 standings with 34 points from 16 games. They won 10 matches while losing three and drawing as many.

The Netherlands, looking for their third title on the trot, fell three short of the Kookaburras’ tally. This was Australia’s second FIH Pro League title and the first since lifting the inaugural trophy in 2019.

Australia had finished their 2023-24 campaign on June 12 in London, where they defeated Great Britain 5-1.

Australia beat the Netherlands earlier in February in a pulsating encounter, which finished 5-4. Blake Govers and Jeremy Hayward’s brace steered the three-time world champions to three crucial points. The Dutch team, however, won the reverse fixture 5-3 a few days later.

The Australian women’s hockey team, on the other hand, finished sixth with seven wins in 16 matches. This was the Hockeyroos’ worst finish in the competition, having previously finished fifth in 2020-21.

The Hockeyroos’ best finish - second - came in the inaugural edition, where they lost on penalties in the final to the Netherlands in Amstelveen.

The FIH Pro League was introduced in 2019. It is an annual round-robin hockey tournament, where nine teams compete against each other home and away. The team finishing with the most points at the end of the season are crowned champions.

The inaugural edition, however, had a different format, where the top four teams progressed to the semi-finals. Australia were the first-ever champions of the men’s tournament, beating Belgium 3-2 in the final.