The much-anticipated finals stage of the 2016-17 Men's FIH Hockey World League is all set to commence on the 1st of December 2017 at Bhubaneswar, which will see some action-packed features in the finals of the third edition of the World League.
The first couple of rounds of the competition witnessed sixty-four teams battling it out for a spot in the semi-finals as the two-round group stage structure saw a total of eighteen teams qualifying for the semifinals held in England in June and South Africa in July.
Eight teams to battle in the finals
The tournament's initial stages were played out in as many as thirteen countries, as the sixty-four different teams representing their respective countries were split into groups.
While the teams ranked from 1st to 11th in the official FIH rankings received a bye into the semi-finals, teams ranked between 12th to 20th were given a green card into the second round as they faced off against the victors from the first round.
In accordance to the rules of the FIH League, the host nation of the Finals have a spot in the last eight and hence by virtue of India hosting the finals, this edition as well apart from hosting it last time around, the eighth spot in the list of teams, which also features Argentina, Belgium, England, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and defending Champions Australia, will be taken by India.
Given that the semi-finals also doubled-up as an opportunity for qualifying for the 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup, the top 18 teams fought tooth and nail and if the semifinals are anything to go by, the finals will surely be lit up by some exciting clashes.
Where to watch the Hockey World League Finals?
The tournament will be broadcast live on Star Sports. Fans who wish to stream the game live can log in to Hotstar.