The 16th edition of the FIH Hockey World Cup will kick off this weekend in Belgium and the Netherlands. Running from August 15 to 30, the quadrennial tournament will be jointly hosted by the two nations across two venues — the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium, and the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, the Netherlands.
Here is everything you need to know about the tournament.
Which teams are playing?
The men’s and women’s competition will feature 16 teams, each divided into four pools of four. Co-hosts Belgium are grouped with defending men’s champions Germany, while the Netherlands will look to defend their women’s crown on home turf. India will face England across both competitions and Pakistan in the men’s draw.
Men’s Pools
Pool A: Argentina, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand.
Pool B: Belgium, France, Germany, Malaysia.
Pool C: Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa.
Pool D: England, India, Pakistan, Wales.
Women’s Pools
Pool A: Australia, Chile, Japan, Netherlands.
Pool B: Argentina, Germany, Scotland, United States.
Pool C: Belgium, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand.
Pool D: China, England, India, South Africa.
What is the format of the competition?
The World Cup is split into three separate stages.
Phase 1: First Pool Stage
The sixteen teams will be split into four pools (A, B, C, D) of four teams each. They will play three matches each in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each pool will qualify for the second pool stage; the bottom two teams will move to the new “classification stage”.
Phase 2: Classification and Crossover Pool Stage
The traditional quarterfinals have been replaced by a second, crossover pool stage. The top two teams from pools A, B, C and D will be sorted into two new pools (E and F) of four teams each.
The two qualifiers from a Phase 1 pool will play two additional matches against the two teams from a different Phase 1 pool. Importantly, teams from the same Phase 1 pool will not play against each other in Phase 2. However, the points and results from their Phase 1 match will carry over to the Phase 2 standings. The top two teams from pools E and F will qualify for the semifinals.
The eliminated teams from A, B, C and D will be sorted into two new pools (G and H). They will compete for ranks 9th-16th by playing three additional matches in a round-robin format.
Phase 3: Knockouts
The competition will assume a traditional knockout format. The four teams will play in the semifinals; the winners will play the Final for gold, while the defeated semifinalists will contest the bronze medal match.
What are India’s fixtures?
Both the men’s and women’s teams have been drawn in Pool D of their respective competitions.
The women’s team will face China on August 16, then South Africa on August 18 and England on August 20.
The men’s team will open their campaign against Wales on August 15, face England the very next day on August 16, before a blockbuster clash with long-time rivals Pakistan on August 19.
India men’s match schedule:
August 15. India vs Wales (4:30 PM IST)
August 17. India vs England (6:30 PM IST)
August 19. India vs Pakistan (6:30 PM IST)
India women’s match schedule:
August 16. China vs India (4:30 PM IST)
August 18. India vs South Africa (6:30 PM IST)
August 20. India vs England (6:30 PM IST)
Where can I watch the Hockey World Cup?
All matches will be broadcast in India on Star Sports and streamed on JioHotstar. Globally, matches are available on Watch Hockey, subject to regional broadcast restrictions.