FIH Draws India, Pakistan in Same Pool for 2026 Men's Hockey World Cup

The International Hockey Federation unveiled the group stage draw for the 2026 Men's and Women's Hockey World Cups on Tuesday, placing longtime rivals India and Pakistan in the same pool for the men's event, set to be co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands from August 15 to 30.

The draw ceremony took place at the Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam, one of the tournament's key venues. A total of 16 teams will compete in each edition, divided into four pools of four. The top two teams from each pool will advance to a second group stage, followed by semifinals and finals. Matches for Pool D in both tournaments will occur in the Netherlands, primarily at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen.

In the men's competition, Pool D features England, India, Pakistan and Wales. Pakistan, absent from the World Cup since finishing 12th in 2018, qualified by reaching the final of the recent tournament in Ismailia, Egypt, where they lost 4-1 to England. Their campaign begins against England on August 15, followed by Wales on August 17 and India on August 19, all at 18:30 IST. India, who have competed in every edition since 1971 and won the title once in 1975, open against Wales on August 15 at 16:30...