[2] Argentina were the defending champions from the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, defeating Canada, 3–1 in the final.

The remaining three spots were given to the three best teams from the 2013 Pan American Cup that had not qualified yet.

Losing teams competed in classification matches to determine their ranking in the tournament.

A penalty stroke competition took place, if a classification match ended in a draw, to determine a winner.

As per statistical convention in field hockey, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.