Hockey World Cup 2026: Full match schedule, groups, India vs Pakistan
The South Asian neighbours, who share a history of conflict and partition, are in the same group in the men’s edition of the World Cup, which begins on Saturday. The FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 will be jointly held in Wavre, Belgium and Amstelveen, The…
The South Asian neighbours, who share a history of conflict and partition, are in the same group in the men’s edition of the World Cup, which begins on Saturday. Both the men’s and women’s editions will feature 16 teams each, divided into four pools.
This year’s edition features a new format that removes the quarterfinal stage, replacing it with a second phase called the “crossover pools”. After the opening round – called the pool stage – the teams will again be grouped into four new pools – Pools.
What Happened
Thus, they will play three additional matches. The top two teams from Pools E and F advance straight to the semifinals, while the others play classification matches (5th-16th positions).
The FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 will be jointly held in Wavre, Belgium and Amstelveen, The Netherlands, from August 15 to 30.
Germany are the defending men’s world champions from 2023, while the Netherlands are the women’s title holders from 2022.
They last met at the World Cup in the 2010 edition, in India’s capital New Delhi, where the hosts beat Pakistan 4-1 in a Pool match.
Key Details
India’s men’s hockey team will face Pakistan in a Pool D match on August 19. The match will be held at Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, The Netherlands, and starts at 15:00 local time (6:30pm in India and 6pm in Pakistan).
The only Hockey World Cup final between them was played in 1975, and ended in a 2-1 win for India.
Pakistan are the most successful men’s team in the Hockey World Cup, with four titles: 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994.
However, they hold the record for most Olympic gold medals (8).
Why It Matters
India and Pakistan have met five times at a Hockey World Cup, with the Indians claiming three wins to Pakistan’s two.
The upcoming contest is the first time in 16 years that India and Pakistan meet in the Hockey World Cup.
What Reports Say
Coverage of the story so far points to:
Continued reporting by Al Jazeera as more details emerge
