EHL Women to expand to 12 team competition

The Euro Hockey League board has confirmed the EHL Women’s competition will expand next year, increasing from eight to 12 teams for the 2024-2025 season.

The expansion will also see the number of nations represented rise from six to eight for a FINAL12 format which will take place at Easter 2025.

It means the top four nations on the EHL Ranking Table will receive two places for the FINAL12 with the nations ranked fifth to eighth all receiving one spot each.

The format sees eight teams play preliminary games – currently scheduled for Wednesday, April 16th 2025 – with the four winners advancing to the EHL Women’s FINAL8 while the losers will contest Ranking Matches for 9th to 11th.

The champions from the top four nations on the Ranking Table will receive byes into the FINAL8. This format was previously deployed for EHL Men at Easter 2022.

Who will ultimately take the extra EHL tickets on offer will be confirmed once the Ranking Table is finalised on conclusion of the current outdoor club cycle at the end of May.

Potential earlier information regarding the qualifiers for the upcoming 2024/25 season, however, may be posted if known after the EHL FINAL8 and Trophy I events have been played.

It is the latest step in the evolution of EHL Women since it was first played in 2021 with four competing teams during the Covid-19 affected season.

Since then, EHL Women has been played on a FINAL8 basis for the past three seasons. This season, the scope to earn points for the EHL Women’s Ranking Table also increased to include the EuroHockey Club Trophy II, allowing more chances for a wider pool of nations to qualify for the EHL.

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