India will kick off their FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 campaign on Saturday with both the men’s and women’s team to play all their pool matches at the Wagener Stadion in Amstelveen.
The two separate FIH Hockey World Cup tournaments will run simultaneously, one for men and the other for women. Both will be co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands from August 15 to 30.
Live streaming and telecast of the Hockey World Cup will be available in India.
The Indian men’s hockey team has been drawn alongside England, arch-rivals Pakistan and Wales in Pool D. The highly-anticipated India vs Pakistan hockey match will take place on August 19.
Led by captain Harmanpreet Singh, India men will be aiming to end a 51-year wait for their second Hockey World Cup, with their only previous triumph coming in 1975.
Harmanpreet Singh heads into the 2026 FIH World Cup following a path previously travelled by only one Indian captain – Ajit Pal Singh.
Ajit Pal led India at the 1971 World Cup before returning as captain in 1975, when he guided the team to their only title. Harmanpreet, who captained India at the 2023 edition, will now lead the side at a second World Cup, becoming only the second Indian to do so.
Mandeep Singh and Manpreet Singh are set to make their fourth Hockey World Cup appearances. Manpreet, who has accumulated 417 international appearances as new India record, will also be the most-capped player at the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s hockey team – led by skipper Salima Tete – has also been clubbed in Pool D along with the People’s Republic of China, England and South Africa.
As per the new FIH World Cup format, the 16 hockey teams are first divided into four pools of four, with each side playing three matches.
The top two teams from each pool move into crossover Pools E and F, while the bottom two enter Pools G and H.
After three more matches, the top two teams from Pools E and F advance directly to the semi-finals, while the other sides will compete in classification matches to determine their final positions from fifth to 16th.
Rivals Pakistan are the most successful team in the history of the tournament having lifted the title four times, while Germany are the defending champions.
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team is yet to win a Hockey World Cup. Reigning champions Netherlands are the most successful nation in the history of the women’s World Cup with nine titles.
Where to watch FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 live in India
Live streaming of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 matches will be available on JioHotstar. The Hockey World Cup matches will also be telecast live on Star Sports Select 2 (SD+HD), Star Sports Khel and DD Sports (DD Free Dish) TV channels in India.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/fih-hockey-world-cup-2026-india-schedule-watch-live-stream-telecast
