Nickname: Los Leones

Previous FIH Hockey Pro League placements: 2019: 4th. 2020-21: 2nd. 2021-22: 1st. 2022-23: 2nd

Notable honours: 2x World Cup winners (2002, 2010), 4x World Cup runners up (1974, 1976, 1994, 2022), 3x World Cup bronze medallists (1978, 2006, 2014), 3x Olympic silver medallists (2000, 2012, 2021), 2x Olympic bronze medallists (2004, 2008), Hockey World League champions (2015), 7x Champions Trophy winners (2001, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016), 8x Pan-American Games gold medallists (1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2019, 2023), 6x Pan-American Cup winners (2001, 2004, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2022). FIH Hockey Pro League winners (2021-22)

Pan American giants Argentina have a superb track record in the FIH Hockey Pro League, never finishing lower than fourth and claiming a glorious title success in the 2021-22 edition. Las Leonas were beaten to the title in last year’s competition by fierce rivals the Netherlands, but have their sights firmly set on reclaiming the crown in 2023-24. A successful FIH Hockey Pro League campaign could be the foundation on which to build their ongoing quest for that elusive Olympic gold medal, with the three-time silver medallists determined to finish top of the podium at Paris 2024 next summer having recently booked their ticket by winning the Pan American Games 2023 in Santiago, Chile. With a squad blessed with masses of talent such as livewire attacker Maria Granatto, vastly experienced team captain Rocio Sanchez, rising defensive star Valentina Raposo and prolific penalty corner ace Agustina Gorzelany, Argentina are genuine title contenders.

This season, Argentina will take to the field for FIH Hockey Pro League ‘mini-tournaments’ on home soil in Santiago del Estero and Buenos Aires as well as Antwerp, Belgium.

One to watch: Maria Granatto. Widely regarded as one of the finest attackers in world hockey, 28-year-old Maria Granatto has been the scourge of opposition defenders ever since making her debut as a fresh faced 18-year-old in 2013. A two-time winner of the FIH Rising Star of the Year award (2016, 2017) and a silver medallist at both the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and FIH Women’s World Cup 2-22, Granatto is a proven match winner for Las Leonas Las Leonas.