India take on Pakistan as Hockey World Cup set to begin
The tournament co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands will run from August 15 to 30
India will take on Pakistan after the two teams were drawn together in Pool D of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026.
The men’s tournament, co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, will feature a new format, with no quarter-finals. The competition will run from August 15 to 30, with teams taking a different route to the title.
England and Wales complete Pool D, with world No. 4 England the highest-ranked team in the group. India are ranked eighth, Pakistan 12th and Wales 16th.
The India-Pakistan clash has been played five times in Hockey World Cup history, with India winning two of those encounters.
A total of 16 teams have been divided into four groups of four. India secured their place in the tournament by winning the Asia Cup last year.
Pool A includes Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand and Japan while Pool B has Belgium, Germany, France, Malaysia. Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa complete the Pool C as Pool D includes England, India, Pakistan, Wales.
Women's draw
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team have been drawn in Pool D of the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026 alongside the People’s Republic of China, England and South Africa.
World No. 4 China are the highest-ranked team in the group, while England are sixth, India ninth and South Africa 19th in the world rankings.
India booked their place in the Women’s World Cup after finishing runners-up in the qualifiers held in Hyderabad earlier this month.
Pool A has Netherlands, Australia, Chile, Japan while Pool B includes Argentina, Germany, United States of America, Scotland. Pool C has Belgium, Spain, New Zealand, Ireland while Pool D includes China, England, India, South Africa.
The Indian women have qualified for the Women’s Hockey World Cup eight times, with their best finish coming in the inaugural edition in 1974, when they finished fourth. They finished ninth at the 2022 World Cup in Spain.
The Indian men, meanwhile, have qualified for all 15 previous editions of the Hockey World Cup. Their only World Cup title came in 1975.
Germany are the defending men’s champions, while hosts the Netherlands enter the women’s tournament as the reigning world champions.
