Junior Hockey World Cup: India to Host Arch-Rivals Pakistan in Pool B Showdown

India Set to Host Pakistan in Junior Men's Hockey World Cup Pool B Clash

India is gearing up to host the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup, scheduled from November 28 to December 10 in Chennai and Madurai. The Indian team finds itself in Pool B, where they will face off against Pakistan, Chile, and Switzerland.

An image of a hockey match in progress.

The draw ceremony, a landmark event held at the FIH headquarters, signifies the expansion of the tournament to include 24 teams for the first time.

The composition of the other pools is as follows:

• Pool A: Germany, South Africa, Canada, and Ireland.
• Pool C: Argentina, New Zealand, Japan, and China.
• Pool D: Spain, Belgium, Egypt, and Namibia.
• Pool E: Netherlands, Malaysia, England, and Austria.
• Pool F: France, Australia, Korea, and Bangladesh.

Key figures such as FIH President Tayyab Ikram, Hockey India (HI) Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh, and Hockey India Director General RK Srivastava were present at the draw ceremony.

FIH President Ikram emphasized the significance of the expanded tournament: "It is a great pleasure for me to be here ahead of a milestone moment as we start the journey towards the first ever 24-team FIH Junior Hockey World Cup! It is a part of the FIH strategy to empower and engage the youth from all nations, including the emerging nations, and this event will be the first step towards doing that."

Bhola Nath highlighted the long-term impact of the World Cup: "This World Cup also brings with it the opportunity to enhance our hockey infrastructure, and in the city of Madurai, introduce a new state-of-art hockey stadium." He further added, "Today marks a landmark moment for the world of hockey as we witness the pool draw for the inaugural FIH Junior Men's Hockey World Cup, featuring 24 nations."

Germany, the current titleholders, secured their seventh championship by defeating France 2-1 in the 2023 final.