KUALA LUMPUR: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has once again revised the qualification process for the World Cup, making it even harder for Asian teams to secure spots in the 2026 edition.
Previously, Asia were guaranteed three places through the Asian Cup.
In the 2022 edition in Jakarta, eight teams competed, with South Korea (champions), Malaysia (runners-up) and Japan earning spots in the 2023 World Cup in India.
However, for the 2025 Asian Cup (venue and dates yet to be determined), only the champions will earn an automatic berth, with the other teams will battle it out in the World Cup qualifiers in January 2026.
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, will feature 16 teams.
Three countries have already secured their spots — hosts Belgium and the Netherlands, alongside Australia, who qualified by winning the 2023/24 FIH Pro League.
Five continental champions and the winner of the 2024/25 FIH Pro League will also book their places in the tournament, leaving just seven World Cup spots to be contested in the qualifiers.
Olympian Nor Saiful Zaini believes the new format will make Malaysia's World Cup qualification prospects far more challenging.
He pointed out that India will be favourites to win the Asian Cup next year, leaving the rest to fight for spots in the qualifiers.
"I'm not sure how many World Cup qualifying tournaments will be held, but it's going to be very tough for Malaysia," said Saiful, who represented Malaysia at the 1998 World Cup in Utrecht.
National men's coach Sarjit Singh faces a major challenge, with his key performance indicator (KPI) next year tied to success in the Asian Cup.
However, based on the current form, Malaysia's chances of winning the tournament look slim following their poor performance at the recent Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) in Inner Mongolia.
The World No. 13 Speedy Tigers finished last in the competition, despite being the second-highest-ranked team.
India went on to win the ACT, defeating China 1-0 in the final, while Pakistan, South Korea, and Japan all finished ahead of Malaysia.