LONDON, ENGLAND — Israel and 24 other countries have their schedule for the FIL 2017 World Cup, which is being held at Surrey Sports Park near London, England, from July 13-22.
The blue-and-white, who are hoping to improve upon their #8 world ranking, open their 2017 campaign against #14 Netherlands on July 13th at 11:00 AM. The two teams have never met in World or European Championship play, however, the Israel owns an exhibition win over the Dutch prior to the 2013 World Cup.
Israel is right back in action on July 14th with a 12:00 PM showdown against Czech Republic. The Czechs have a strong program and recently finished 7th in the 2015 European Championships. The two teams have never met before.
Newcomers China and Belgium were also drawn into Israel’s group.
Thu, Jul 13 — Israel vs #14 Netherlands — 11am
Fri, Jul 14 — Israel vs Czech Republic — 12pm
Sun, Jul 16 — Israel vs China — 2pm
Mon, Jul 17 — Israel vs Belgium — 3pm
Playoffs begin on Tuesday, July 18th
While Israel is the favorite to emerge from “Group C”, the blue-and-white have a steep path to the Quarterfinals. The team needs a perfect 5-0 record — which requires sweeping pool play and defeating the winner of “Group D” in a first-round playoff game — to advance to the Round of Eight.
9th-ranked Japan, who defeated the Israelis in an overtime thriller in 2013, are the favorites to emerge from “Pool D”.
Israel will be traveling to New York for a training three-game exhibition schedule in April.