Ireland's women will face the world number one side, the Netherlands, in this summer’s World Cup group stages alongside fifth ranked Germany and newcomers Chile following the draw which took place in Terrassa, Spain.
The draw also means Sean Dancer’s side will be based in Amsterdam for the group stages of the competition, playing their group games between July 1st and 7th in the Wagener Stadium.
“We’re so excited after watching the draw for the World Cup this summer,” said captain Katie Mullan in the wake of the draw.
“It will be fantastic to play the Netherlands in their home stadium and to face Germany who we played last year in Tokyo. We know Chile are an up-and-coming team and will be very well prepared this summer so that will be another brilliant game to look forward to. We are super-excited, see you in July!”
Tickets will go on sale for the event on March 1st via https://wkhockey2022.com/ with the match schedule to be confirmed in due course.
The match against the all-conquering Dutch will be a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final with the world number one side going on to win the Olympic Games, European Championships and the FIH Pro League since then.
Germany, meanwhile, are the world number five side and took silver at last summer’s Euros as well as edging out the Green Army in an Olympic thriller, 4-2 in Tokyo.
Chile are the one newcomer to the competition for this 15th edition of the World Cup having finished second in Pan-America in January. The world number 17 may be fresh-faced on this stage but Ireland know them reasonably well, meeting four times in 2019 in a shared test series in Santiago.
Elsewhere, an under-strength Railway Union travel to Alanya, Turkey this weekend for the EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy with goalkeeper Emma Buckley, defender Holly Jenkinson and Sarah Patton all struggling to be fit.
It makes for a tough campaign where they will face teams from England, Czechia, Austria, Turkey and Scotland. They can play freely, though, as two Covid-related withdrawals mean there will be no relegation this year from the second tier of Euro competition.
Domestically, Old Alex and Pegasus play a crucial women’s EY Hockey League contest while Banbridge and Catholic Institute are both bidding to reach the final four of the Irish Senior Cup for the first time. They play their quarter-final on Saturday at Havelock Park.
On the men’s side, the big highlight is the meeting of the top two in the EY Hockey League as Three Rock Rovers host Lisnagarvey in their refixed Irish Senior Cup quarter-final.
FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup, July 1-17 (Terrassa, Spain & Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Pool A: Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Chile
Pool B: England, New Zealand, India, China
Pool C: Argentina, Spain, Korea, Canada
Pool D: Australia, Belgium, Japan, South Africa
