New Delhi . The Indian men's hockey team is once again on a mission to win the trophy which it has been waiting for for 51 years. India will compete for the title in the FIH (International Hockey Federation) Men's Hockey World Cup 2026 to be held from 15 to 30 August in Netherlands and Belgium.
India last won the Hockey World Cup in 1975. After this the team could neither win the title nor make a place on the podium. Now the team under the leadership of captain Harmanpreet Singh and coach Craig Fulton will try to end this long wait.
Fulton, who won the bronze medal for India in the Paris Olympics, faces a bigger challenge this time. 16 teams from the world are participating in the tournament and this time the format of the competition is also different from before.
Which group is India in?
India has been placed in Pool D. Along with him in this group are Wales, England and arch rival Pakistan. Each team will play one match each against the remaining three teams in the group. The top-2 teams of the group will reach the second round.
The countdown is almost over. The challenge is set. 🇮🇳🏑
Here's the road that awaits the Indian Men's and Women's Hockey Teams in the pool stage of the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026.
📺 Star Select 2 (SD+HD) + Khel & JioHotstar
🗓️ August 15–30#HockeyIndia… pic.twitter.com/RLubPPxPCm— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 8, 2026
What are the remaining groups of Hockey World Cup?
Pool A: Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan
Pool B: Belgium, Germany, France, Malaysia
Pool C: Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa
Every match in the group stage will be important for India, because to reach the second round it is necessary to be in the top two.
India's full schedule
India will play all its three group matches at the Wegener Hockey Wegener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands.
| date | competition | competition | place |
| August 15 | india vs wales | 4:30 pm | Wagner Hockey Stadium |
| 17 August | India vs England | 6:30 pm | Wagner Hockey Stadium |
| 19 August | india vs pakistan | 6:30 pm | Wagner Hockey Stadium |
Note: All times are according to Indian time.
That means India's campaign will start against Wales on 15th August and just four days later on 19th August there will be a high-voltage match against Pakistan.
Where will you be able to watch India's matches?
FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 will be telecasted in India on Star Sports. Apart from this, live streaming of the matches will be available on JioHotstar. Therefore, Indian viewers will be able to watch the matches of Team India through both TV and digital medium.
Has the format of the World Cup changed this time?
There will be no direct crossover matches and quarter-finals in the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 like the previous event. After the group stage, the top two teams of each pool will go to the second round. There eight teams will be divided into two groups.
The top-2 teams of Pool D will be in the second round group with the top-2 teams of Pool A. Similarly, the top two teams of Pool B will play with the top two teams of Pool C.
In the second round, the team will compete with the other two teams of its new group. However, the points gained against the team that qualified from the same pool in the first round will also carry forward.
After this, the top-2 teams of both the second-round groups will reach the semi-finals. There will also be classification matches for the teams finishing bottom in the first and second round groups.
Combination of experience and youthful enthusiasm in Indian team
Head coach Craig Fulton has expressed confidence in almost the same core group for this World Cup with whom he has been working for the last two years. Harmanpreet Singh will captain the team for the second consecutive World Cup. Mandeep Singh and Manpreet Singh will play their fourth World Cup. This will be the World Cup debut for some players in the team.
India's full squad
Goalkeepers: Mohit HS, Suraj Karkara, Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (Captain), Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, Yashdeep Siwach, Midfielders: Rajinder Singh, Aditya Arjun Lalge, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Nilkanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Forwards: Dilpreet Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Sukhjit Singh, Mandeep Singh, Abhishek,
Mohit HS, Suraj Karkara, Yashdeep Siwach, Aditya Arjun Lalge, Rajinder Singh, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay and Shilanand Lakra will debut in this World Cup.
How was India's form before the World Cup?
India's biggest concern while entering the World Cup is its recent form. India is currently at eighth place in the world ranking. The team's Pro League season was very challenging and it finished second last in the points table. India did not get a single outright win in the first eight matches of the season. However, the team improved its performance in the later stages.
In Europe, India defeated teams like Netherlands, Germany and Pakistan. The team also won the shootout against England.
Due to these results, India avoided relegation in the FIH Nations League. Relegation means moving to a lower division (league) due to poor performance of a team in sports competitions.
This performance will give confidence to the team before the World Cup. Especially in the matches against Netherlands, Germany and England, the Indian team showed improvement in its attack. However, defense still remains a matter of concern.
What is India's biggest strength?
India has Harmanpreet Singh, one of the best dragflickers in the world. His ability to score goals from penalty corners has been a big weapon for India for a long time. In big matches, Harmanpreet's dragflick can change the course of the match.
However, there is some concern about his current form. He could score only one goal in the last eight matches of the Pro League played in Europe.
Earlier, he had also remained out of some matches of the season due to a finger injury. He has suffered many injuries in the last two years. However, now he looks completely fit and is ready to make a big impact once again like in the Paris Olympics.
India has many options in attack also
Apart from Harmanpreet, India has players like Abhishek, Shilanand Lakra and Rajinder in the attack. All three have impressed with their performance in the last one-two years. Especially Abhishek has emerged as India's main weapon in terms of scoring field goals.
Coach Fulton will try to ensure that these players perform consistently throughout the tournament. If India's forwards are successful in converting chances into goals, then the team's title journey can get a lot of strength.
Defense is the biggest concern
The biggest challenge before India is regarding defence. In the last two Pro League seasons, the Indian defense did not look as strong as before. The team needs improvement especially in defending against set pieces and penalty corners.
The effect of change has also been visible in the goalkeeping department. After the retirement of veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and the decline in form of Krishna Pathak, this department became a cause of concern for India.
Fulton's strategy is based on strong defense and fast counter attack. But in recent matches, India has often not been able to fully implement its basic strategy.
Problems have also been seen in the off-the-ball structure. Fatigue due to continuous matches, mistakes at important moments and giving too many penalty corners have been harmful for the team. On the other hand, India will also have to improve its ability to convert the chances it gets into goals.
However, Fulton expressed confidence that the players have learned from previous matches and these weaknesses have been worked on during the World Cup camp.
Hockey World Cup History of India
India has finished on the podium thrice in the Hockey World Cup. But all three achievements came between 1971 and 1975.
1971: Bronze Medal
1973: Silver Medal
1975: Gold Medal
After this, India could never make it even to the top-4.
This has been the biggest wait for the Indian hockey team in the last 51 years after 1975. This time the team is not only faced with the challenge of winning the World Cup, but also has the opportunity to regain that old glory. India had also hosted the last two World Cups. In the tournament played in Odisha in 2018, India was eliminated by Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
Even in the previous edition of 2023, India could not progress on its home ground. In the crossover match against New Zealand, the team had to face defeat in the penalty shootout.
Now in 2026, the format has also changed and the goal of the team is also clear, first to cross the group stage, then to make it to the second round and finally to bring the World Cup trophy to India, ending the 51-year-old wait.