Men’s Rabobank Hockey Champions Trophy 2018 all set for action

Six of the world’s finest teams – including five of the top six placed teams in the FIH Hero World Rankings – will be fighting it out for the title, with reigning champions and current world number one ranked Australia likely to be favourites at an event that promises to be a sensational exhibition of top class international hockey.

The fine heritage of the Champions Trophy is reflected in the opening match of the 2018 competition, which features one of the biggest rivalries in the sport – Pakistan (FIH Hero World Ranking: 13) going head-to-head with India (WR: 6) on Saturday 23 June at 14:00 Central European Standard Time (UTC +1).

The meeting between Pakistan, the nation that launched the Hockey Champions Trophy back in 1978, and India, the eight time Olympic champions, is a fixture that is sure to draw thousands of spectators to the venue as well as millions of fans tuning in from across the world, eagerly anticipating the latest episode of this long-running battle between two of the sport’s most successful nations.

The opening day drama does not stop there as at 16:00 another eye-catching fixture will take place, with home favourites and European champions Netherlands (WR: 4) meeting Olympic and Pan American champions Argentina (WR: 2).

The combination of outstanding teams and an event taking place in one of the world’s most fanatical hockey countries, there can be no doubt that the Rabobank Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy promises to be a spectacular edition in Breda.

Spectator tickets for the event are still available. For more information, please click here.

The men’s Hockey Champions Trophy has long showcased the very best that the sport has to offer, with the finest international teams competing to claim titles of historical significance. Here is a brief look at the teams that will contest the title.

Australia are the most successful team in the history of the Men’s Champions Trophy with a staggering 14 titles and 28 podium finishes. As the top ranked team in the game, they will be rightly regarded as favourites. However, this will be the first major tournament since the retirement of iconic defender and captain Mark Knowles, who bowed out at the top with a gold medal at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. The departure of Knowles has seen Head Coach Colin Batch appoint vastly experienced duo Eddie Ockenden and Aran Zelewski as co-captains for this event on an interim basis, with a view to appointing a single captain for the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 at the end of the year. Ockenden and Zelewski are central figures for a Kookaburras team that is missing injured duo Matt Dawson and goalkeeper Andrew Charter, but welcomes back experienced defender Matthew Dawson after a six-month sabbatical as well as Blake Govers, who returns after a hand injury which forced him out of the Commonwealth Games.

Despite recently losing their position at the top of the rankings table to Australia, few would argue that this remains a golden time for Olympic champions Argentina, who have long been overshadowed by the success of their female compatriots. That said, it has not been an easy few months for Los Leones. Head Coach and former Argentina international Carlos “Chapa” Retegui – the man who, remarkably, guided both the men and the women’s national sides to bronze medals at the Rabobank Hockey World Cup 2014 before leading the men to Olympic glory at Rio 2016 – has departed, being replaced by former Argentina internationals in the shape of new Head Coach German Orozco and assistant Matias Vila. Orozco has kept Argentina’s existing squad pretty much intact, naming a vastly experienced group that will be guided by team captain Pedro Ibarra. Matias Paredes, Juan Gilardi and goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi are all aged over 35 but remain very much in their prime, using their vast experience in every game situation. Creative genius Lucas Vila is arguably Argentina’s most influential player, although it is powerfully built penalty corner expert Gonzalo Peillat who often grabs the headlines thanks to his incredible prowess from set-pieces.

Having achieved first place finishes at both the Hero Hockey World League Semi-Final in London and the Rabobank EuroHockey Championships in Amsterdam, 2017 was a memorable one for eight time Champions Trophy winners the Netherlands. The squad selected by Head Coach Max Caldas for this event contains a glittering array of gifted individuals, including play-maker Robbert Kemperman as well as powerful striker Mirco Pruijser, who finished as top scorer at August’s Rabobank EuroHockey Championships to help his team claim defend their continental title in Amsterdam. Live-wire attacker Jeroen Herzberger makes a surprise return to the international scene at the age of 32 and looks set to play his 200th match for Oranje at this event. Although the team is missing outstanding attacking midfielder Billy Bakker, there is certainly no shortage of creativity contained within the squad. Valentin Verga, captain Seve van As, Jorrit Croon and Kemperman are all capable of creating chances out of nothing, ensuring that the Netherlands will be a side to be feared throughout this event.

Asian champions India will feel that they have a fantastic chance of challenging for the Champions Trophy, a title which, remarkably, they have never won. They came agonisingly close at the 2016 event in London, finishing runners up behind Australia thanks to a shoot-out defeat. A fourth place finish at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games earlier this year triggered a change to the position of Head Coach, with Harendra Singh taking over from Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne, who moved back to his old position as Head Coach of the India women’s team. Harendra has selected a strong team for the Champions Trophy, with ace goalkeeper PR Sreejesh being named captain of a side that also includes double cap centurions Manpreet Singh, SV Sunil and Sardar Singh. Thirty-one-year-old Sardar is just two matches away from reaching the milestone of 300 international appearances for India, something which he looks likely to achieve in Breda.

2014 Champions Trophy silver medallists Pakistan may have finished in seventh place at the XXI Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast earlier this year, but that result hides the fact that they went through the event completely unbeaten. Four draws in the pool phase – against Wales, India, England and Malaysia respectively – saw Pakistan finish fourth in their five-team pool, putting them in the 7-8 classification match where they defeated Canada 3-1.

A full schedule as well as broadcasting and official competition information can be found on FIH.CH, with extended coverage coming via the FIH social media channels.