New Delhi, June 6 : Ahead of the start of the European leg of the FIH Pro League 2024-25, Craig Fulton, head coach of the Indian men's hockey team, has stressed finishing as high as possible in the standings to secure direct qualification for next year's World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands.

India are currently ranked third in the FIH Pro league with fifteen points in eight games, only behind England and Belgium respectively. Harmanpreet Singh-led side has the chance to improve their position to boost their chances for World Cup qualification, as only the top two teams of the FIH Pro League will secure entry for the quadrennial showpiece.

With Belgium and the Netherlands already through by virtue of being the host nations, a successful European leg will only strengthen India's case.

"I think it's pretty clear that this is one of the ways of securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Obviously, if it doesn't work out, we have the Asia Cup in August in Bihar, India, but we've been training well for this. So we really want to try and finish as high as we possibly can and get on the podium. Bearing in mind that Australia, the Netherlands, and Belgium have already qualified because of hosting, and Australia won it last year. So it's the next highest place team that should get the qualifying spot," Fulton told the media during a virtual interaction on Friday.

In their first, India will take on the Netherlands on Saturday and then again on Monday, followed by a double-header against Argentina on June 11 and 12, with all four matches set to take place at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen.

The team will then head to Antwerp, Belgium, for their next challenge, where they will lock horns with Australia on June 14 and 15 before ending their campaign with two crucial matches against hosts Belgium on June 21 and 22.

Talking about the preparations of the side for the physically challenging tour, where they will play six games in nine days, Fulton said the players are geared up for it and have worked hard in training to cope with the workload pressure.

"So, everything is geared around being physically able to cope with the load of the games. When we get to the sixth game, we have four days off, and then we play Belgium four days later in a back-to-back game. So, I think everything we were pushing for was around being physically conditioned to play against the best teams in the world that starting off with Holland, and to be nice and physically ready for them. That was the whole reason behind pushing as hard as we have," he said.

"And, yeah, we'll see how we go tomorrow. We have training just now in the stadium. So, yeah, we're looking forward to it," Fulton added.

Harmanpreet also expressed confidence in their preparations at the national camp in Bengaluru and three practice matches in Ireland to do well in the tournament.

The Indian captain added he is "fit and healthy" after his recovery from wrist and ankle injuries, which limited his participation in the Hockey India League (HIL) and Pro League earlier this year.

"I had a good rehab in Bengaluru with physios. I practiced with the team and also had extra sessions. Overall, it was a bit of overload, fatigue, and tough, but I knew what I had to achieve. Now, I'm feeling strong and hoping to do well," Harmanpreet explained.

/IANS