The bulk of New Zealand's preparation has taken place at camp in Belgium where, in the space of 10 fully loaded training days, they also played four warm-up matches, two each against Belgium and the Netherlands.
The results were not great - a win and a loss against Belgium and two losses against the Dutch - but coach Shane McLeod said the games against the Netherlands had helped them not only get more used to their style of play, but break down some of the mystique surrounding them.
New Zealand meet the Netherlands in their third pool match on August 3.
By then they should know whether they are semifinal contenders. To get down to brass tacks, if New Zealand do not win their opener against Korea and their second match against India, they face an uphill battle with the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany in wait.
"We sit at No 7 in the world rankings and we'd be hugely disappointed if we fell below that," McLeod said. "You look at some markers over the past 12 to 18 months and they've been really positive."
New Zealand beat Australia at Hobart last year, their first victory against the transtasman foe for 12 years. They have lost seven times and drawn once since, including a fearful hammering in a recent three-test series, where New Zealand conceded 15 goals while scoring three.
In June, New Zealand won the Azlan Shah tournament for the first time, a result that followed a creditable fourth at the Champions Trophy in Auckland last year.
"They're real positives. The key to our success is starting well. We have to put away Korea and India. If we don't we have to work harder in those games against Holland and Germany."
The field is strong, with the likes of New Zealand and host nation Great Britain trying to nudge their way into contention alongside the perennial contenders Holland, Germany, Spain, Australia and historically strong nations from India and Pakistan.
"I would be disappointed if we fell below six," McLeod said.
