Ireland, Poland, France, Wales and England have all taken big steps closer to competing in the men’s FIH World Cup later this year as they reached the semi-finals of their respective qualifiers.
The top three finishers from both of the qualifiers taking place in Chile and Egypt this week are guaranteed a place at this summer’s showpiece event with the highest world ranked fourth placed finisher from the two events joining them.
In Chile, there was drama galore in Pool A where Scotland went into the final set of group games in pole position but a 5-0 defeat to old nemesis Wales saw them drop out of contention.
It opened the door to jump above the Scots on goal difference and confirm their place in the semi-finals.
That left France – needing a draw – facing a Chile side who needed a win for them to join Wales in the qualifying spots. In a topsy-turvy battle, the Chilean hosts led twice before France fought back to lead, briefly, 3-2 before the game ended in a draw which suited the French side the best.
On the other side of the competition, it was more serene. Ireland sailed through the group stages with three wins, beating Canada 5-2 and Korea 6-1 – their biggest ever win over that opponent – to advance and completed their pool with a 4-1 success over Poland.
The Poles had also qualified with a comeback win over Korea (3-2) and then edged out Canada 2-1, putting them through with a game to play.
France will meet Poland in Friday’s semi-finals with Ireland meeting Wales with the winner of each game assuring themselves of a place at the World Cup.
In Egypt, meanwhile, England have been the standout side so far, starting with a 5-0 win over Japan and then a 3-0 success against the host nation. They were already assured of a semi-final spot before their game with USA was cancelled due to their need to depart the event early on safety grounds.
England will now face Malaysia on Friday in the semi-final to rubber-stamp their spot at the summer’s festival in Belgium and the Netherlands.
** You can every minute live from each qualifier on Watch.Hockey
