Australian players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Hockey World Cup final in The Hague in 2014.
2014, The Hague (May 31-June 15)
Defending champion Australia impressively defeated the Netherlands 6-1 in the final at the World Cup hosted by Dutch, making it the biggest defeat ever for the Dutch in the competition. It solidified Australia’s title as the best team in the world and although it did not win Olympic gold, it remained at the top.
The team’s coach, Ric Charlesworth, was also acknowledged as an extraordinary coach.
Surprisingly, the team’s incredible performance included scoring 30 goals and only conceding three despite not having the top-scorer in the tournament.
The Dutch had a tougher route to the final, barely beating England with a lone goal.
On the other hand, India finished ninth, struggling to win and only drawing a game against Malaysia and Spain respectively, with a 3-0 win against South Korea.
Top three: Australia, the Netherlands, Argentina; India: Ninth.
2018, Bhubaneswar (Nov. 28-Dec. 16)
Bhubaneswar hosted the tournament for the third time with India joining the Netherlands in doing so. Belgium, a team ranked third in the world, won its first-ever title in style by defeating three-time champion the Netherlands in a penalty shootout in the final, solidifying its growing stature in world hockey. The tournament expanded again to include 16 teams after the 2006 edition.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik with Belgium players after the World Cup 2018 in Bhubaneswar.
Belgium’s fairytale appeal was added to by the fact that it had only ranked fifth four years prior, but managed to reach the 2016 Olympics final. Ranking third in the world, its growing stature in world hockey was truly solidified by winning the tournament.
The new competition format, with four groups of four each, saw India top its group with a better goal difference than Belgium before faltering against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals and finishing sixth.
Top three: Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia; India: Sixth.