Bhubaneswar, December 13: Bhubaneswar would witness yet another major tournament and as it is officially confirmed as the host for one of the three Hockey Series Finals to be held from June 6 to 16 next year.

The Hockey Series is open to national teams that are not playing in the Hockey Pro League.

This was announced by Odisha Sports Minister Chandra Sarathi Behera in the presence of International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Narinder Batra here on Wednesday.

“After the successful hosting of the 2018 Hockey World Cup, Bhubaneswar will once again welcome international hockey when it will host the Hockey Series Finals from June 6 to 16 next year. It is a privilege for us to be recognised as one of the sought-after destinations for hockey,” Behera said.

The eight-team competition would be played from June 6-16, 2019, with the top two finishers advancing to the Olympic playoffs.

Besides India, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Africa, and the USA would be the other teams in the fray, with one team being confirmed after the last of the Hockey Series Open tournament in Lahore from December 17-22. Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and Uzbekistan are the contenders in the Lahore event.

The other two Hockey Series Finals would be played in Kuala Lumpur (Apr 26-May 4) and Le Tourqet, France (June 15-23).

As per the new Olympic qualification process, the top two teams from each Finals would advance to a 14 team playoff, including the top-four finishers from the Pro League and the four highest-ranked sides not part of the Pro League or the Hockey Series.

The teams would be divided into seven pairs playing home and away games, with the winner on aggregate earning an Olympic spot.