India and Pakistan have been placed in the same Pool D for the Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup 2026, along with England and Wales. The tournament is jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, with the matches scheduled to be played in Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Wavre (Belgium) from August 15 to 30.
16 teams have been divided into four groups, with the team finishing top would book a direct spot in the quarterfinals, while the second and third placed teams in each group will clash in the cross-over matches to progress to the top-eight stage.
Similarly, the draw for the Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 was also held with India being pooled in Pool D along with England, China and South Africa. The Women’s FIH World Cup will run alongside the men’s World Cup schedule on the same dates.
The official draw ceremony was held on Tuesday at the iconic Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam, one of the two venues where the upcoming World Cup will be held, alongside the brand-new Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre.
The draw threw up an exciting match-up in the Men’s World Cup with the arch-rivals placed in the same group. Moreover, this would be the first time, the 1975 winner India and four-time champions Pakistan will be meeting for the first time in the first round of the Hockey World Cup since the 2010 edition in New Delhi.
Pakistan did not qualify for the 2014 edition. They returned in 2018 in Bhubaneswar, where India and Pakistan were placed in different groups. India went on to reach the quarterfinals, while Pakistan’s campaign ended in the crossover stage after losing to Belgium. Pakistan once again failed to qualify for the 2023 edition held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.
In the upcoming Men’s World Cup, defending champions Germany are placed in a challenging Pool B alongside hosts Belgium, France and Malaysia. Pool A is equally competitive, with the Netherlands set to take on Argentina, New Zealand and Japan.
The tournament draw was conducted by renowned hockey figures Naomie van As, Barbara Neelen and Teun de Nooijer. They were joined by DJ La Fuente, who was also unveiled as the Dutch Ambassador for the World Cup.
“Today’s draw marks another major milestone on the road to the most prestigious FIH event, the FIH Hockey World Cup! The upcoming edition, for both women and men, co-hosted by two hockey powerhouses, promises to be a resounding success. We are very grateful to both Belgium and the Netherlands for hosting our top athletes and the global hockey community in less than six months,” said FIH president Tayyab Ikram during the event.
“In today’s fractured world, sport—and events such as this in particular—can play a substantial role in bringing people together. It can foster peace at times when our world is torn apart by conflict,” he added.
The full match schedule for both the men’s and women’s World Cup will be announced on Wednesday (March 18).
Groups: Men’s Hockey World Cup
Pool A: Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan (Will play in the Netherlands)
Pool B: Belgium, Germany, France, Malaysia (Belgium)
Pool C: Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa (Belgium)
Pool D: England, India, Pakistan, Wales (Netherlands)
Groups: Women’s Hockey World Cup
Pool A: Netherlands, Australia, Chile, Japan (will play in the Netherlands)
Pool B: Argentina, Germany, USA, Scotland (Belgium)
Pool C: Belgium, Spain, New Zealand, Ireland (Belgium)
Pool D: China, England, India, South Africa (Netherlands).
