The tournament doubled as the qualifier for two major international tournaments: the winner qualified directly to the 2014 World Cup, and the three teams not qualifying through the 2014 South American Games or the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games qualified for the 2015 Pan American Games to be held in Toronto, Canada. Also, the top 6 teams qualified for the next Pan American Cup, while the bottom two will need to compete in the Pan American Challenge.
Argentina won the tournament for the second time after defeating Canada 4–0 in the final.[2] As they had already secured an automatic berth at the 2014 World Cup thanks to a second-place finish at the World League Semifinal in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, their quota was immediately awarded to first reserve team Korea.[3]
Qualification
In early 2011 the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) announced a new qualification system for the Men's Pan American Cups, recognizing the differences in team strength of the top playing nations and the remaining associations.[4] The top six nations at the 2009 Pan American Cup now will qualify directly with the remaining two spots being taken at the newly created Pan American Challenge, which was held in 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[1]
Uruguay and Trinidad and Tobago faced traveling hurdles that required to alter the competition schedule. Both teams' opening matches were moved to Monday 12 August, while the remainder of the schedule was moved down a day.[6]
