Lausanne, Dec 19 (NationPress) The Indian men's hockey team is set to finish the thrilling year in fifth place in the FIH world rankings, while the women’s team holds the ninth position in the most recent update published by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Thursday. The Indian men's hockey squad made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by achieving back-to-back medals at the Games for the first time since the 1972 Olympics held in Munich.

The Olympic champions from the Netherlands, with 3267 points, lead the rankings. They started the year in the top position following an exceptional performance in the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup, winning gold medals at both the FIH Hockey Pro League and the EuroHockey Championship in 2023.

A strong opening to the 2024-25 season of the FIH Hockey Pro League has pushed England (3139) into the second position, with Belgium (3124) closely trailing in third place, as both teams have seen a positive start to the new Pro League season.

The reigning World Champions, Germany (3066), climbed to second place after their silver medal at Paris 2024, but a challenging start to the Pro League resulted in a drop to fourth in the world rankings.

India (2955), an eight-time Olympic gold medallist, and Australia (2814), the 2004 winners, are in fifth and sixth place respectively, both preparing to kick off their Pro League seasons at home in February 2025 — the Kookaburras in Sydney starting February 4, while the Men in Blue will commence their journey on February 15 in Bhubaneswar.

The top ten concludes with Argentina (2722), Spain (2570), France (2116), and Ireland (2112), while South Africa (2082), New Zealand (2058), Malaysia (1970), Korea (1945), and Pakistan (1942) follow closely in positions eleven to fifteen.

In the women’s world rankings, the Netherlands (3689) had an outstanding year, clinching gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, alongside victories at the EuroHockey Championships and another title in the FIH Hockey Pro League.

Argentina (3203) remains in a distant second place, following their bronze medal performance at Paris 2024, managing to narrow the gap with their first win over the Netherlands in nearly three years during the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25.

Belgium (2918), Germany (2846), and Australia (2820) retain their positions as the third, fourth, and fifth-ranked teams in the world as they move into 2025.

Hot on their heels, China (2685), coached by Alyson Annan, has shown remarkable improvement in 2024, highlighted by a historic silver medal at the Olympics.

England (2471) is entering a transformative phase following several retirements after Paris 2024. They currently hold onto the seventh spot in the world rankings, but three losses in four matches at the start of the new Pro League season have allowed competitors to close the gap.

Spain (eighth, 2422), India (ninth, 2350), and New Zealand (10th, 2124) complete the top 10 rankings as they prepare for the upcoming year.

Both Spain and India aim to ascend the rankings ladder early in 2025 when they launch their respective FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 campaigns in February, in Sydney and Bhubaneswar.

The teams behind the top ten include Japan (2063) in eleventh, Ireland (2028) in twelfth, the United States (1998) in thirteenth, Chile (1962) in fourteenth, and Korea (1869) in fifteenth.