India to Host Junior Hockey World Cup; Faces Pakistan in Group Stage

India is gearing up to host the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup from November 28 to December 10. The cities of Chennai and Madurai will be the battlegrounds for this prestigious tournament. The Indian team finds itself in Pool B, alongside rivals Pakistan, as well as Chile and Switzerland.

Hockey players in action during a match

The official draw ceremony was held at the FIH headquarters, a landmark event as this year marks the first time the tournament will feature 24 participating teams.

The composition of the other pools is as follows:

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

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

"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," said FIH chief Ikram.

Bhola Nath 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." He further highlighted the opportunity to improve hockey infrastructure, including a new state-of-the-art stadium in Madurai.

Germany enters the tournament as the defending champions, having secured their seventh title by defeating France 2-1 in the 2023 final.