Men's FIH Hockey World Cup

The Hockey World Cup was first conceived by Pakistan's Air Marshal Nur Khan. He proposed his idea to the FIH through Patrick Rowley, the first editor of World Hockey magazine. Their idea was approved on 26 October 1969 and adopted by the FIH Council at a meeting in Brussels on 12 April 1970. The FIH decided that the inaugural World Cup would be held in October 1971, in Pakistan.

However, political issues would prevent that first competition from being played in Pakistan. The FIH had inadvertently scheduled the first World Cup to be played in Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Furthermore, Pakistan and India had been at war with each other only six years earlier. When Pakistan invited India to compete in the tournament, a crisis arose. Pakistanis, led by cricketer Abdul Hafeez Kardar, protested against India's participation in the Hockey World Cup.

Given the intense political climate between Pakistan and India, the FIH decided to move the tournament elsewhere. In March 1971, coincidentally in the same month Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan, the FIH decided to move the first Hockey World Cup to the Real Club de Polo grounds in Barcelona, Spain, which was considered a neutral and peaceful European site.[2]

The FIH has set no requirements or limitations on the size of the competition. The 1971 Cup included only ten nations, the smallest World Cup. The 1978 Cup featured fourteen nations. The 2002, 2018 and 2023 Cups featured sixteen nations. The remaining 10 World Cups have featured 12 nations.

The first three tournaments were held every two years. The 1978 Cup was the only tournament held three years from the previous one. It was halfway between the Summer Olympics hockey competition and has continued that way. In other words, the tournament has been held every four years ever since.

The Hockey World Cup trophy was designed by the Bashir Moojid and created by the Pakistani Army. On 27 March 1971, in Brussels, the trophy was formally handed to FIH President Rene Frank by Mr H.E Masood, the Pakistani Ambassador to Belgium. The trophy consists of a silver cup with an intricate floral design, surmounted by a globe of the world in silver and gold, placed on a high blade base inlaid with ivory. At its peak is a model hockey stick and ball. Without its base, the trophy stands 120.85 mm (4.758 in) high. Including the base, the trophy stands 650 mm (26 in). It weighs 11,560 g (408 oz), including 895 g (31.6 oz) of gold, 6,815 g (240.4 oz) of silver, 350 g (12 oz) of ivory and 3,500 g (120 oz) of teak.[3]

The Hockey World Cup consists of a qualification stage and a final tournament stage. The format for each stage is the same.

Team	1971	1973	1975	1978	1982	1986	1990	1994	1998	2002	2006	2010	2014	2018	2023	2026	Total
Argentina	10th	9th	11th	8th	12th	6th	9th	7th	–	6th	10th	7th	3rd	7th	9th		14
Australia	8th	–	5th	3rd	3rd	1st	3rd	3rd	4th	2nd	2nd	1st	1st	3rd	4th		14
Belarus	Part of the Soviet Union							12th	–	–	–	–	–	–	–		1
Belgium	–	8th	–	14th	–	–	–	11th	–	14th	–	–	5th	1st	2nd	Q	8
Canada	–	–	–	11th	–	10th	11th	–	8th	–	–	11th	–	11th	–		6
Chile	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	15th		1
China	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	10th	–		1
Cuba	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	16th	–	–	–	–	–		1
England	–	6th	6th	7th	8th	2nd	5th	6th	6th	7th	5th	4th	4th	4th	5th		14
France	7th	–	–	–	–	–	7th	–	–	–	–	–	–	8th	13th		4
Germany^	5th	3rd	3rd	4th	2nd	3rd	4th	4th	3rd	1st	1st	2nd	6th	5th	1st		15
Ghana	–	–	12th	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–		1
India	3rd	2nd	1st	6th	5th	12th	10th	5th	9th	10th	11th	8th	9th	6th	9th		15
Ireland	–	–	–	12th	–	–	12th	–	–	–	–	–	–	14th	–		3
Italy	–	–	–	13th	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–		1
Japan	9th	10th	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	12th	9th	–	–	–	15th		5
Kenya	4th	12th	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–		2
Malaysia	–	11th	4th	10th	10th	–	–	–	11th	8th	–	–	12th	15th	13th		9
Netherlands	6th	1st	9th	2nd	4th	7th	1st	2nd	1st	3rd	7th	3rd	2nd	2nd	3rd	Q	16
New Zealand	–	7th	7th	–	7th	9th	–	–	10th	9th	8th	9th	7th	9th	7th		11
Pakistan	1st	4th	2nd	1st	1st	11th	2nd	1st	5th	5th	6th	12th	–	12th	–		13
Poland	–	–	10th	9th	8th	8th	–	–	12th	15th	–	–	–	–	–		6
South Africa	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	10th	–	13th	12th	10th	11th	16th	11th		7
South Korea	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	8th	7th	4th	4th	6th	10th	–	8th		7
Soviet Union#	–	–	–	–	6th	4th	6th	Defunct									3
Spain	2nd	5th	8th	5th	11th	5th	8th	9th	2nd	11th	3rd	5th	8th	13th	6th		15
Wales	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	11th		1
Total	10	12	12	14	12	12	12	12	12	16	12	12	12	16	16	16

^ = includes results representing West Germany between 1971 and 1990

# = states that have since split into two or more independent nations

Germany, India, the Netherlands and Spain are the only teams to have competed at each World Cup; 27 teams have competed in at least one World Cup.

Year	Debuting teams			Successor and renamed teams
	Teams	No.	CT
1971	Argentina,  Australia,  France,  India,  Japan,  Kenya,  Netherlands,  Pakistan,  Spain,  West Germany^	10	10
1973	Belgium,  England,  New Zealand,  Malaysia	4	14
1975	Ghana,  Poland	2	16
1978	Canada,  Ireland,  Italy	3	19
1982	Soviet Union#	1	20
1986		0	20
1990		0	20
1994	Belarus#,  South Africa,  South Korea	3	23	Germany
1998		0	23
2002	Cuba	1	24
2006		0	24
2010		0	24
2014		0	24
2018	China	1	25
2023	Wales,  Chile	2	27

^ = Germany is a successor of West Germany and not a separate team.

# = Belarus was a part of Soviet Union but not successor, hence Belarus is a new separate entity.

Total number of teams which have participated in the World Cups through 2018 is 25, using FIH's view on successor teams

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