FIH Hockey World Cup 2022: What is a Crossover match that Team India will need to win to qualify for quarter-finals?

Team India was placed in Group D of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2023 alongside England, Spain, and Wales. Although India won over Wales and Spain, they drew 0-0 with England. On goal difference, India was placed second in the pool, behind England.

In India's last game against Wales, which ended in a 4-2 win, India needed an eight-goal difference victory to book their spot in the quarter-finals. However as they could not achieve it, England qualified from their group, D, to the quarters.

While the winners of each group went ahead into the quarter-finals, the remaining 8 teams - the second and third finishers in the pool - will play in Crossover matches to book the remaining spot.

Teams qualified for the quarter-finals of FIH Hockey World Cup 2023?

Australia (From Pool A), Belgium (From Pool B), Netherlands (From Pool C), and England (from Pool D) have directly qualified for the quarter-finals.

What are Crossover matches?

Crossover games serve as a second chance for teams that failed to advance to the tournament's quarter-finals. This stage has, in a sense, guaranteed that even the third-placed team from the pool stage will have another opportunity to qualify. While generally the top two teams usually advance to the quarter-finals, this World Cup, is different.

In the crossover game, the second-placed team in each pool competes against the third-placed team in another pool.

Teams that will play crossover matches:

Argentina and France (Pool A)

Germany and Korea (Pool B)

Malaysia and New Zealand (Pool C)

India and Spain (Pool D)