USA Exits FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers Amid Middle East Crisis

NEW DELHI: The United States of America withdrew from the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup qualifiers as the Middle East plunged into crisis, the International Hockey Federation announced on Wednesday. Team USA was playing its qualifiers in Ismailia, Egypt, and had finished at the bottom of its pool in the first round. It was to face China in the classification round on March 6 — a fixture that will now see the Chinese get a walkover.

“Following an official advisory on 3 March 2026 from the US State Department urging all US citizens to depart from nations within or close to the conflict zones in the Middle East, including Egypt, the USA Men’s team, with the full support of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), has withdrawn from the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifier currently taking place in Ismailia, Egypt,” the FIH said in a statement on its website. IANS

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