Synopsis
The Indian men's and women's hockey teams have successfully maintained their positions in the top 10 of the FIH World Rankings following their recent matches in the FIH Pro League, showcasing their competitive strength on the international stage.Key Takeaways
- Indian men's team is ranked fifth.
- Indian women's team is in ninth place.
- Netherlands leads the women's rankings.
- Pro League matches significantly impacted rankings.
- FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup will take place in Malaysia.
Lausanne (Switzerland), March 4 (NationPress) Following their recent home matches in the FIH Pro League, both the men's and women's hockey teams have gained valuable ranking points, ensuring they stay within the top 10 of the FIH World Rankings.
During the Bhubaneswar leg of the FIH Pro League, the Indian women's squad faced off against World champions the Netherlands, along with Australia, England, Germany, and Spain. Meanwhile, the men's team competed against England, Germany, Spain, and Ireland.
As updated on Tuesday, the Indian men's team stands at fifth place, while the women's team holds the ninth position.
The opening months of 2025 have showcased spectacular hockey action across various international platforms. Notable tournaments included the FIH Hockey Pro League held in three locations: Sydney, Bhubaneswar, and Santiago del Estero.
In addition to the Pro League, international hockey events were concurrently taking place in the lower tiers, including the inaugural FIH Hockey Men's Nations Cup 2 hosted in Oman and the third edition of the FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup, which concluded on March 2 in Chile.
The intense competition led to numerous changes in the rankings, as each victory and defeat among closely ranked teams influenced their standings.
In the women's rankings, the Netherlands (3639) retains the top position, but a shoot-out defeat against India in their final Pro League game in Bhubaneswar resulted in a loss of over 50 points. The reigning World and Olympic champions maintain a significant lead over second-placed Argentina (3223), who are securely ahead of Belgium (3039) in third, as confirmed by an FIH statement on Tuesday.
The remaining teams in the Pro League are closely clustered, with less than 350 points separating the fourth to ninth positions. China (2734) leads this group in fourth, followed by Australia (2696) in fifth, Germany (2662) in sixth, Spain (2583) in seventh, England (2440) in eighth, and India (2391) in ninth.
The FIH Nations Cup in Chile also influenced the rankings of teams below the top nine in the Pro League. New Zealand (2177) sits in tenth place, strengthening their position within the top 10 after their success at the Nations Cup, while Ireland (2118) follows closely behind after finishing as runners-up in the tournament.
Chile (2033) achieved their best-ever ranking, now positioned twelfth, with Japan (2030) in thirteenth and the United States (1946) in fourteenth. Scotland (1813) ranks fifteenth, closely trailed by Korea (1793) in sixteenth. Canada (1549), finishing last in the Nations Cup, has been overtaken by Italy (1583) for seventeenth place.
In the men's world rankings, the Olympic champions, the Netherlands (3241), continue to lead after a strong start in the FIH Pro League, but Belgium (3123) and England (3061) are closing in as they also top the Pro League standings midway through the season. The reigning world champions, Germany (3053), find themselves in fourth place, closely followed by India (2978) in fifth.
Australia (2824), Spain (2716), and Argentina (2682) have had mixed results and currently sit in sixth, seventh, and eighth in the world rankings, respectively. France (2116) is in ninth place, while Ireland (2091) has yet to secure a win in this season's Pro League.
The teams ranked from eleventh to sixteenth include South Africa (2082), New Zealand (2058), Malaysia (1970), Korea (1945), Pakistan (1942), and Japan (1851). These six teams, along with France in ninth and Wales (1793) in eighteenth, will compete in the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup in Malaysia from June 15-21, 2025.
After the inaugural Men's Nations Cup 2, Egypt (1830) emerged as the most significant rank gainer, moving up to 17th place.
Austria (1774) is ranked 19th, followed by gold medal winners Scotland (1716), who have secured promotion to the Nations Cup 2026 in twentieth place. The remaining teams from Nations Cup 2, including Canada (1688), China (1594), Chile (1534), Poland (1533), and the USA (1475), complete the top 25 in the men's world rankings.
