Belgium take top spot in men's FIH Hero World Rankings for the first time

LAUSANNE, Switzerland – Newly-crowned world champions Belgium are now sitting at the top of the FIH Hero World Rankings, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced on Sunday.

The Red Lions claimed a shoot-out victory over the Netherlands in the final of the Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 on Sunday 16 December, giving them their first ever world title and also their first ever placement at the top of the rankings.

The win catapulted them from third to first in the updated rankings, released shortly after the completion of the gold medal match.

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Belgium's title success in Bhubaneswar saw them move onto 2196 points, 15 points ahead of the now second-ranked Australia, who claimed the bronze medal in Bhubaneswar with victory over England.

World Cup silver medallists the Netherlands have climbed from fourth to third, with Olympic champions Argentina moving down to fourth position.

There were also significant moves for China and France, with the team from Asia climbing from 17th to 14th in the new rankings, one place ahead of France who have moved from 20th to 15th following the ranking points earned from their impressive eighth place finish in Bhubaneswar.

Check out the complete FIH Hero World Rankings here.