Hockey World Cup: History, origins and everything you need to know

Until the 1970s, the Olympic gold medal was undisputedly the biggest prize in hockey.

However, with the sport’s ever-increasing popularity, the need for a standalone hockey world championship was felt. After all, the Olympics is a multi-sport event and as popular hockey was at the time, it had to share the spotlight.

Men’s Hockey World Cup: Origin

Consequently, the idea of a men’s hockey World Cup, like football, was jointly mooted by India and Pakistan, two of the biggest hockey powerhouses at the time, at an International Hockey Federation (FIH) council meeting in 1969.

The then Pakistan Hockey Federation chief Air Marshal Nur Khan, a sports enthusiast who also served as the head of Pakistan’s cricket and squash federations, was a driving force behind the idea. Nur Khan, who is also considered the brains behind the Hockey Champions Trophy, was the first to propose the idea of a World Cup to the FIH through Patrick Rowley, the first editor of the renowned World Hockey magazine.

FIH approved the idea on October 26, 1969, and at an FIH council meeting in Brussels on April 12, 1970, it was decided that the inaugural hockey World Cup will be held in Pakistan in October 1971.

Hockey World Cup trophy

To celebrate its status as the hosts of the inaugural hosts, the Pakistani Army constructed the official hockey World Cup trophy, which is used to date.

The men’s hockey World Cup trophy was made out of 895 gms of gold, 6,815 gms of silver, 350 gms of ivory and 3,500 gms of teak wood. It weighed 11.56kgs and stood 650mm high when mounted on its base.

Designed by Bashir Moojid, the men’s hockey World Cup trophy is a silver cup with intricate floral designs placed on a base of teak inlaid with ivory. Placed on the top of the cup is a model of the globe made out of gold and silver, which has a tiny model of a hockey stick and ball mounted on it.

The trophy was formally handed over to the erstwhile FIH President Rene Frank by Mr HE Masood, the Pakistani Ambassador to Belgium, in Brussels on March 27, 1971.

Interestingly, the original design of the men’s hockey World Cup trophy was a single-piece hockey stick, weighing 18kg, made out of gold and silver. A model of the original design was showcased during a nine-nation international tournament held in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1969 but it was never commissioned officially.

Why was the 1971 hockey World Cup shifted to Spain

During the lead-up to the inaugural edition of the men’s hockey World Cup in 1971, India and Pakistan got embroiled in a bitter conflict over the Liberation of Bangladesh, then East Pakistan.

The politically charged climate in the region made hosting the 1971 hockey World Cup in Pakistan impossible, especially if India was to play. Hence, the FIH decided to shift the tournament to Barcelona, Spain, with the Real Club de Polo grounds hosting the matches.

Pakistan, however, ended up as the inaugural champions after beating the hosts in the final.

Men’s Hockey World Cup format

The hockey World Cup was initially conceived as a biennial event and the first three editions 1971, 1973 and 1975 followed the two-year gap.

The 1978 edition in Argentina, however, was held after a gap of three years. The hockey World Cup has been a quadrennial tournament since, hosted once every four years.

The 2023 edition in India is an exception as the tournament was delayed due to COVID-19 but the next one will be held in 2026 to reset the quadrennial format.

Until 1975, the men’s hockey World Cup was an invitational tournament but qualifications were introduced in 1977.

The hockey World Cup tournament format has more or less stayed consistent with a round-robin group stage followed by knockout and classification matches to determine final positions and champions.

Men’s Hockey World Cup teams

There are no set rules for how many teams can play in a hockey World Cup. The inaugural edition had 10 teams; India, Pakistan, Spain, Kenya, West Germany, France, Argentina, Japan, the Netherlands and Australia. It was the smallest edition to date.

Most of the other editions saw 12 teams compete, except 2002, 2018 and 2023, which were 16-team affairs. Pakistan are the most successful team in the history of the men’s hockey World Cup with four titles. India won the trophy only once in 1975.

Women’s Hockey World Cup

After the commercial success of the men’s hockey World Cup in 1971 and 1973, the FIH greenlit the women’s hockey World Cup.

The first women’s hockey World Cup was held in 1974 in Mandelieu, France.

Like the men’s version, it was initially conceived as a biennial tournament and was initially held in gaps of two or three years. However, since 1986, the women’s hockey World Cup has been a quadrennial meet.

The number of participating teams in the women’s hockey World Cup has also been inconsistent. The 1974 and 1978 editions were the smallest with 10 teams. The 1976 edition saw 11 teams play.

Most of the editions have been 12-team tournaments, barring 2002, 2018 and 2022, which had 16. The Netherlands have dominated the women’s hockey World Cup, winning nine titles, including two hat-tricks, making them the most successful team in the history of the competition.

Little is known about the women’s hockey World Cup trophy’s origins. FIH sources say that it was made in Scotland and first presented in 1975. The trophy, also called the ‘Salad Bowl’, is a silver cup placed on a base. The trophy was revamped in 2018.