New world league set to reduce Irish qualification chances

IRELAND’S quest to qualify for major tournaments looks set to be made much tougher after details of a new worldwide league were announced yesterday.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) yesterday announced the format of the FIH World League, which will make its debut in 2012 and is designed to make the qualification process for major men’s and women’s international tournaments, such as the Olympics and World Cup, more democratic.

The tournament will qualify four teams directly into the 2014 World Cup, altering a process which, for Ireland, is currently based on their performance in the bi-annual European championships.