Former champion India was on Tuesday handed a favourable draw for the Olympic men's field hockey qualifiers, even as South Korea and Spain faced a tough journey to London.
India will play lower-ranked teams on home soil in the first of three qualifying tournaments, according to the draw released by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
The eight-time Olympic gold medallist, which failed to qualify for the Beijing Games, was drawn with Canada, France, Poland, Egypt and the United States in the New Delhi tournament from February 15 to 26.
World No. 6 South Korea will take on Asian Games finalist Malaysia, Ireland, Russia, Chile and Ukraine in Dublin from March 10 to 18.
Spain, silver-medallist at Beijing and currently ranked fourth, faces host Japan, China, Austria, the Czech Republic and Cuba in the third qualifying tournament in the Japanese city of Kakamigahara from April 25 to May 6.
The winner of each of the three tournaments will join the nine direct qualifiers in the 12-team event at next year's London Games.
The teams that have already qualified, mainly through continental quotas, are defending champion Germany, host Britain, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.
