New Zealand have drawn Olympic and World League champions the Netherlands in next year's World Cup tournament in The Hague.
The Black Sticks, who have slipped from third to fifth in the latest rankings, are in pool A, along with fourth-ranked Australia, who beat them 5-1 at the World League final in Argentina last month, Korea (No 8), Japan (No 9) and Belgium (No 12).
The 2010 World Cup winners Argentina head pool B, which also includes England (No 3), Germany (sixth), China (seventh), the United States (No 10) and 11th-ranked South Africa.
New Zealand will head there without assistant coach Greg Nicol, who announced he was stepping down yesterday.
Nicol has resigned after two and a half years as Mark Hager's No 2, to take up a role as director of oaching for Central Hockey, based in Napier.
The World Cup runs from May 31 to June 15.
