FIH decide on 16 teams for 2018 World Cup

THE FIH Executive Board decided in Kuala Lumpur to to increase the number of participating nations at the 2018 World Cup to 16 men’s and 16 women’s squads.
  Earlier, FIH president Leandro Negre had said in a press conference that he will like to see 24 teams for the World Cup, but the Executive Board decided 16 was enough.
  However, the the Board will look into the possibility of increasing the field to 24 teams for each gender for the 2022 edition of the World Cup.
  There was a lot of research that went into the proposal to increase the field at the World Cup with competition format and the ability to find a host nation all making an impact.
   In the end, after a lengthy decision process, the Executive Board decided that an increase to 16 teams from the current 12-team format would best suit the growth of hockey.
  “The 16-team format is the best decision for the sport,” said FIH President Leandro Negre.
   “We have so many quality teams in the top-20 of our World ranking that it will still be quite competitive to earn a berth to the World Cup even with the expanded field. This is a testament to the global development of hockey.”
   “It was a simple decision from that aspect to increase the field to 16 teams for both genders. We are fortunate in hockey that we have no gender gap and that our women’s field is every bit as competitive as the men’s side.”
  The 2014 World Cup, to be held in The Hague, Netherlands, will still host a 12-team field for both the men and women.