 9 teams ranked between 12th and 20th in the FIH World Rankings current at the time of seeking entries for the competition qualified automatically.However, Belgium was chosen to host a Semifinal, hence exempt from Round 2 and leaving 8 teams qualified.Additionally 15 teams qualified from Round 1, as well as one nation that did not meet ranking criteria and was exempt from Round 1 to host a Round 2 tournament.