An uphill task awaits India in this year’s women’s hockey World Cup in Argentina where they have been clubbed alongside reigning World champions the Netherlands and formidable teams like Germany and Australia.
Japan and New Zealand are the other two teams in Pool A along with India.
The Indian eves will open their campaign against the mighty Dutch girls on August 30 followed by matches against Australia (September 1), Germany (September 3), Japan (September 5) and New Zealand (September 7).
The Pool B, meanwhile, consists of hosts Argentina, China, Spain, England, Korea and South Africa.
The opening match of the event, to be held in Rosario, Argentina from August 29 to September 11, will witness Asian rivalry between China and Korea, followed by hosts Argentina taking on South Africa and Spain-England encounter.
The top two teams of each pool will proceed to the semifinals, which are scheduled on September 9. The final will be played on September 11.
Schedule:
August 29: Pool B — China vs Korea, Spain vs England, B Argentina vs South Africa.
August 30: Pool A — The Netherlands vs India, Germany vs New Zealand, Australia vs Japan.
August 31: Pool B — China vs England, South Africa vs Spain, Argentina vs Korea.
September 1: Pool A — India vs Australia, The Netherlands vs New Zealand, Germany vs Japan.
September 2: Pool B — South Africa vs China, England vs Korea, Spain vs Argentina.
September 3: Pool A — India vs Germany, Australia vs The Netherlands, Japan vs New Zealand.
September 4: Pool B — England vs South Africa, Korea vs Spain, China vs Argentina.
September 5: Pool A — India vs Japan, Germany vs The Netherlands, New Zealand vs Australia.
September 6: Pool B — Spain vs China, Korea vs South Africa, Argentina vs England.
September 7: Pool A — India vs New Zealand, The Netherlands vs Japan, Australia vs Germany.
September 8: Rest Day.
September 9: Classification 11-12 6th Pool A vs 6th Pool B, Semifinal 1st Pool A vs 2nd Pool B, Semifinal 1st Pool B vs 2nd Pool A.
September 10: Classification 9-10 5th Pool A vs 5th Pool B, Classification 7—8 4th Pool A vs 4th Pool B, Classification 5-6 3rd Pool A vs 3rd Pool B.
September 11: Bronze medal match and final.
