Hockey Olympic Qualifiers: When and where to watch, squads, schedule

The Indian women's hockey team will vie for a Paris Olympics quota spot at the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers, taking place in Ranchi from January 13 to 19.

The Indian team has been placed in Group B alongside New Zealand, the USA, and Italy.

Only the top three teams are eligible to win a quota place each from this eight-team tournament.

It must be noted that this would be the last chance for the Indian women's team to qualify for back-to-back Olympics. India women historically missed out on a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, losing to Great Britain in the third-place playoff.

The Indian team led by captain Savita Punia will be keen to give their all to clinch a quota place for the 2024 Games. But the team will have to deal with the absence of experienced player Vandana Katariya, who was ruled out of FIH Women's Olympic qualifiers just a week before the tournament due to a fracture in the cheekbone.

Format

The eight teams competing at the FIH Women’s Hockey Olympic Qualifiers have been divided into two groups of four teams each. The top teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals.

The two winners of the semifinals will directly qualify for the final and earn a Paris Olympic quota place each, while the two losers of the semifinals will be going head-to-head to secure the remaining one place.

Teams

Pool A: Germany, Japan, Chile, Czech Republic

Pool B: India, New Zealand, Italy, United States

Squad

Savita Punia (captain), Nikki Pradhan (vice-captain), Bichu Devi Kharibam, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, Monika, Nisha, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Neha, Navneet Kaur, Salima Tete, Sonika, Jyoti, Beauty Dungdung, Lalremsiami, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, Baljeet Kaur.

Schedule

India vs USA - January 13 - 7:30 PM

India vs New Zealand - January 14 - 7:30 PM

India vs Italy - January 16 - 7:30 PM

Semi-final 1 - January 18 - 4:30 PM

Semi-final 2 - January 18 - 7:30 PM

Third place playoff - January 19 - 4:30 PM

Final - January 19 - 7:30 PM

Live Streaming

Live streaming of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 Ranchi will be available on JioCinema. The Paris 2024 qualifying matches will also be telecast live on Sports 18-1 and Sports 18-1 HD TV channels in India.