The city of Wavre, 24km south-east of Brussels, will be home to the Irish men’s and women’s hockey teams for at least the next week when they will play the opening phases of their World Cup campaigns. The tournaments are being co-hosted by Amstelveen in the Netherlands, the venue for the women’s final on August 29th, with Wavre hosting the men’s gold-medal match the following day.This will be just the fourth appearance at a World Cup for Ireland’s men, and their first since 2018. The side secured their slot with a flawless campaign – five wins out of five – in their qualifying tournament in Chile back in March. If the rankings are anything to go by, their opening game on Sunday morning (10.30am Irish time) should be their toughest challenge in their group. Australia, ranked six places above them at four in the world, are their opponents. Next up are the group outsiders South Africa on Tuesday (4pm), followed by Spain on Thursday (4pm).There’s a new format in the 16-nation tournament this time around, with a top-two finish required in each of the four groups if there is to be a shot at a place in the semi-finals. The third- and fourth-placed teams will be left vying for the lower classification places. Ireland coach Mark Tumilty has kept faith with the same 20-man squad that travelled to the Chilean capital, Santiago, five months ago. It’s a squad rich with experience – goalkeeper Jaime Carr is closing in on 100 caps, while Jeremy Duncan will hit the 150 mark during the group phase.“This is a special moment for everyone involved in Irish hockey, especially this group of players,” said Tumilty. “The chance to play at only our fourth World Cup, against the best teams in the world and on the biggest stage in our sport, is something we’re all looking forward to.“We know what lies ahead will be a tough challenge and we have great respect for every team in the competition. The players are ready for the opportunity, we’re clear about how we want to play, excited to test ourselves against the world’s best and proud to represent Ireland at the World Cup.”Squad: Jaime Carr, Luke Roleston, Kyle Marshall (capt), Peter McKibbin, Mark McNellis, Sam Hyland, Gregory Williams, Fergus Gibson, Lee Cole, Luke Witherow, Sean Murray, Johnny McKee, Peter Brown, Adam McAllister, Matthew Nelson, Benjamin Walker, Jeremy Duncan, Ali Empey, Louis Rowe, Jonny Lynch.Fixtures (Irish times) - Sunday: Ireland v Australia, 10.30am; Tuesday: Ireland v South Africa, 4pm; Thursday: Ireland v Spain, 4pm.