Six nations will battle for historic title in November
Event to be held at the Wujin Hockey Stadium in Changzhou, China
Reigning World Cup & World League, Olympic, Champions Trophy, Asian and Oceania champions amongst participantsĀ
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has revealed that Argentina, Australia, China, Great Britain, Japan and Netherlands will participate in the Womenās Hockey Champions Trophy Changzhou 2018 between 17-25 November.
In line with the event qualification criteria, the hosts China, reigning World Cup and World League Champions Netherlands, 2016 Olympic champions Great Britain and the previous Hockey Champions Trophy winners Argentina, all qualified automatically. Tokyo 2020 hosts and recently crowned Asian champions Japan and reigning Oceania champions Australia, were invited by the FIH Executive Board.
2018 World Cup champions Netherlands, who also won last yearās Hockey World League, will be the team to beat. Having been ranked number one in the FIH Hero World Rankings since October 2011, they will be looking to continue their winning form this year by adding this prestigious title to their trophy cabinet.
As the worldās number two ranked team, Great Britain* will be looking to replicate their Rio 2016 success by claiming yet another victory on the international stage. Like with many teams they have been rebuilding since the last Olympics but will be using this event as a marker to see how far they have come as they prepare to defend their title in Tokyo in 2020.
Australia will enter the Champions Trophy with fresh memories of missing out on the medals at the World Cup in London as they finished fourth. But the 2017 Oceania champions, who won silver at this yearās Commonwealth Games, are on the up and with momentum on their side, the worldās third highest ranked team will no doubt be one of the challengers for the Trophy in China.
Argentina will also be eager to dispel any disappointment from their performance in London as the Pan American champions look to defend the title they won against the Dutch back in 2016.
Ranked number four in the world, they have the talent, skill and goals within their squad to challenge for this yearās gold medals.
Japanās āCherry Blossomsā will be riding high following their Asian Games triumph last weekend. They became continental champions for the first time in their history as they defeated India in the final. Japan will be looking to use this yearās Champions Trophy as another key stage in their development as they prepare to hold the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Hosts China are busy preparing for the inaugural season in theĀ FIH Pro LeagueĀ where they will be joined by fellow Champions Trophy opponents Argentina, Australia, Great Britain and Netherlands.
Whilst they face some formidable opponents in this competition, the new look team, led by former Germany Head Coach Jamilon MĆ¼lders, will be looking to reward their passionate fans by winning the title at the home of Chinese hockey.
Keep up to date with all the latest news about this event via theĀ official websiteĀ and through FIH social media channels –Ā Facebook,Ā Instagram,Ā TwitterĀ and Snapchat.
#HCT2018
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