3 min readUpdated: Mar 17, 2026 11:09 PM IST
India and arch rivals Pakistan will feature in the same pool at the upcoming men’s Hockey World Cup starting from August 15 in Belgium and Netherlands, International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced on Tuesday.
After the draw ceremony for the Hockey World Cup on Tuesday, India has been clubbed with Pakistan, England and Wales in the Pool D for the men’s edition while the Indian women’s team have been group with Olympic silver medallist China, South Africa and England.
A total of 16 teams have qualified for the World Cup and have been divided into four pools with four teams each. After the pool stage, the top two teams from each pool would progress to the next round where the eight teams will be again clubbed in two pools. The top two team from each pool in the second round would make it to the semi-final phase. Both men’s and women’s editions will be played simultaneously and in the same format.
After being clubbed in Group D in their respective tournaments, the both Indian teams will play the Hockey World Cup at the iconic Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The Indian men’s team have got a decent draw with England being the only higher ranked side in their pool. With good recent head-to-head record against Pakistan, India will be the favourites to progress from the Pool D along with England.
In the men’s Hockey World Cup, both Pool A and Pool B can be termed the pool of death with Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, and Japan making the Pool A while Belgium, Germany, France, and Malaysia completing the Pool B. Australia is clubbed with Spain, Ireland, and South Africa in Pool C.
The draw was done by international hockey legends Naomie van As, Barbara Neelen and Teun de Nooijer, as well as DJ La Fuente, who was announced as Dutch Ambassador for the World Cup during the ceremony. It also featured the captains from the Netherlands (Renée van Laarhoven, Marijn Veenand, Thierry Brinkman and Lars Balk) and Belgium (Charlotte Englebert, Michelle Struijk, Arthur Van Doren and vice-captain Arthur De Sloover), the head coaches from the Netherlands (Raoul Ehren and Jeroen Delmee) and Belgium (Adam Commens and Shane McLeod).
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The full match schedule for the tournament will be announced tomorrow.
Hockey World Cup 2026 Pools
Women:
Pool A: Netherlands, Australia, Chile, Japan (playing in the Netherlands)
Pool B: Argentina, Germany, USA, Scotland (playing in Belgium)
Pool C: Belgium, Spain, New Zealand, Ireland (playing in Belgium)
Pool D: China, England, India, South Africa (playing in the Netherlands)
Men:
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Pool A: Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan (playing in the Netherlands)
Pool B: Belgium, Germany, France, Malaysia (playing in Belgium)
Pool C: Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa (playing in Belgium)
Pool D: England, India, Pakistan, Wales (playing in the Netherlands)
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