World Cup Field Hockey Trivia

Pakistan won the inaugural men’s World Cup in 1971 held in Barcelona

After India won the 1975 Men’s World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, goalkeeper Ashok Dewan was asked to take a random dope test even all his team members left the Stadium

Germany hockey star Christopher Zeller scored two crucial goals to steer his team to glory in the 2006 World Cup after they trailed 1-3 at one stage against Australia before rallying to win 4-3

Indian women’s hockey team’s heaviest defeat in World Cup is the 1-7 loss at the hands of the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup

Netherlands have won the women’s World Cup six times – the most by any nation

India’s BP Govinda had a jinx with penalty strokes in the 1973 World Cup – he missed a stroke in his team’s 0-0 draw against Germany and later muffed up another stroke in the closing stages of the game when both India and Netherlands were tied 2-2 – in the subsequent penalty strokes – he again missed a stroke

Spain as a host nation bagged a silver medal losing to Pakistan in the final

India won their only men’s World Cup at Kuala Lumpur in 1975 – Ashok Kumar scored the match-winner after Surjit Singh had equalized following Pakistan taking an early lead through Zahid

Netherlands are the only country to win the World Cup twice as a host nation – 1973 (Amstelveen) and 1998 (Utrecht)

At the 1986 London World Cup unfancied Poland surprised India 1-0 in their tournament opener

 

Pakistan have won the World Cup on most occasions – four times (1971, 1978, 1982, 1994)

Netherlands finished a below-par 9th in the 1975 World Cup, but the tourney’s top goal-scorer was from their team – legendary Ties Kruize took the honours along with Pakistan's Manzoor-ul Hassan and Poland’s Stefan Otulakowski

Pakistan became the first nation to win back-to-back men’s World Cup tourneys – they won it in 1978 (Buenos Aires) and 1982 (Mumbai)

  

Paul Litjens (The Netherlands) holds the record for scoring most goals in a single Olympics – he scored 15 goals in the 1978 World Cup

Rajinder Singh is the only Indian to be the top goal-scorer of the World Cup – he attained this feat at the 1982 edition in Mumbai (then Bombay)

Australian legend Ric Charlesworth became the second player after Dutchman Hans Jorritsma to win the World Cup as a player and coach

The 1982 World Cup in Mumbai was the first to be played on grass

Kenya capped off a memorable World Cup debut in the 1971 edition becoming the first African nation to reach the semifinals – they ended up fourth losing 1-2 to India in the bronze medal play-off tie

Pakistan posted the biggest victory margin in men’s World Cup in the 1982 edition in Bombay - they routed New Zealand 12-3

India suffered their heaviest World Cup defeat against Germany – they lost 0-7 in the 1978 World Cup held at Buenos Aires

Double Olympic gold medallist and top goal-scorer of the 2010 women’s World Cup, Dutch hockey star Maartje Paumen is a lesbian

India took the silver at the 1973 World Cup in Amstelveen after they lost to the Netherlands 2-4 in a penalty shootout after both teams were tied 2-2 in regulation time – Surjit Singh scored both goals for India

Pakistan scored a mammoth 38 goals en route to glory in the 1982 World Cup in Mumbai

India hosted the 1982 World Cup for the first time at Bombay, but the team finished a disappointing fifth

Dutchman Hans Jorritsma (1973/1990) and Australia’s Ric Charlesworth (1986/2010) are only the two players to win the men’s World Cup both as a player and coach

Harcharan Singh scored the golden goal as India beat Malaysia 3-2 in extra time – this after India twice equalized through goals from Shivaji Pawar and Aslam Sher Khan

Netherlands (1983, 1986, 1990) and Australian (1994, 1998, 2002) women have both won the World Cup three consecutive times

The triumphant Indian 1975 World Cup winning side had lost one game in the tournament 1-2 to Argentina – Harcharan Singh scored for India in a lost cause

Ric Charlesworth was the top goal-scorer in Australia’s maiden World Cup triumph in the 1986 edition at London

Pakistan became the first nation to win back-to-back men’s World Cup tourneys – they won it in 1978 (Buenos Aires) and 1982 (Mumbai)

  

India crushed lowly Ghana 7-0 which happens to be their biggest World Cup win

Germany became the second team after Pakistan to win back-to-back World Cups – (2002 and 2006)

Indian women’s hockey team’s best showing at the World Cup has been a fourth place finish in the 1974 World Cup, where they beat eventual champions Netherlands 1-0 in the league phase

At the 1982 World Cup in Mumbai Pakistan en route to glory won every match by a margin of at least two or more goals

India finished last in the 1986 London World Cup

Only three women’s hockey players have been members of the World Cup winning teams thrice – they Dutch trio of Lisette Sevens (1974, 1978, 1983), Elsemieke Havenga-Hillen and Sandra le Poole (1978, 1983 and 1986)

Indian coach Cedric D’Souza was sacked midway through the 2002 Kuala Lumpur World Cup – India finished 9th in that event

Madrid is the only city to host the women’s World Cup twice

India have won three World Cup medals – one gold, silver, bronze – all coming in the first three editions (1971, 1973, 1975)

Pakistan hockey player decided against going home to attend his father’s funeral during the 1994 Sydney World Cup and later helped his side win the trophy

Germany became the second country after Netherlands to win the men’s World Cup (2006 edition) as a host nation

Netherlands have hosted the men’s World Cup on most occasions - thrice – 1973 edition in Amstelveen, 1998 edition in Utrecht and 2014 edition in The Hague

Kuala Lumpur is the only city to have hosted the men’s World Cup twice - (1975 and 2002 World Cups)

Germany’s 10-1 win over Nigeria in the 1978 World Cup is the biggest victory margin in women’s World Cup

Dutch drag-flicker Taeke Taekema scored five goals including a whirlwind first-half hat-trick in his side’s 6-1 win over India in the 2006 World Cup

Twice Olympic champion and 2006 World Cup winner Naomi van As – Dutch women’s hockey player is romantically linked to long-track skater Sven Kramer

The Netherlands won the 1973 men’s World Cup in Amstelveen – their triumph can largely attributed to the heroic goalkeeping of Maarten Sikking who shaped up his side’s wins in both the semifinals and final against West Germany and India – both matches went into penalty strokes.

England have beaten India by an identical 3-2 margin in three successive World Cups (2002, 2006 and 2010)

India's Victor J Phillips scored his team's opening goal in both the 1975 and 1978 World Cups - he scored against England in the 1975 World Cup and against Belgium in the 1978 World Cup