Hockey’s potential relies on India, its fallen superpower

ON JANUARY 25TH Germany beat England in a shoot-out—but not at a football tournament. This was hockey: the quarter-final of the men’s World Cup in India. Hockey (field hockey, to North Americans) has much else in common with football: each team has 11 players, the idea is to propel a ball into a goal and the scores are of similar magnitude. Both can fluctuate from the frenetic to the soporific, even in the same match. Both mix teamwork and outrageous individual skill, such as a perfectly weighted pass or a mesmerising dribble.

But in popularity, there is no comparison. Even in Belgium and Germany, not many will know that their national teams will meet in Sunday’s World Cup final. Hockey may be played in 137 countries, but it is a niche affair. North Americans prefer its violent cousin played on ice (though that too is slipping in popularity). In many countries it is an amateur sport. The International Hockey Federation (FIH), the sport’s governing body, estimates 30m people pick up a stick regularly; in contrast, hundreds of millions play football.