Qualification
Each of the continental champions from five confederations and the host nation received an automatic berth. The European confederation received one extra quota based upon the FIH World Rankings. Australia, Pakistan and England qualified as 3rd, 4th and 6th team in final ranking at the 2000 Summer Olympics, completing the final line-up alongside the seven teams from the Qualifier.
| Dates | Event | Location | Qualifier(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation | Malaysia | ||
| 1–12 September 1999 | 1999 EuroHockey Nations Championship | Padua, Italy | Germany Netherlands |
| 18–28 September 1999 | 1999 Hockey Asia Cup | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Korea |
| 13–20 May 2000 | 2000 Hockey African Cup for Nations | Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | South Africa |
| 22 June – 2 July 2000 | 2000 Pan American Cup | Havana, Cuba | Cuba |
| 17–29 July 2001 | Qualifier | Edinburgh, Scotland | Argentina Spain Poland Belgium India Japan New Zealand |
| 16–30 September 2000 | 2000 Summer Olympics | Sydney, Australia | Australia Pakistan England |
Read more about this topic: 2002 Men's Hockey World Cup