New DelhiLate on Wednesday, March 18, the International Hockey Federation released the complete schedule for the Hockey World Cup. According to the schedule, one of the competition's most eagerly awaited matches will be the major match between India and Pakistan on August 19. The group stage matches for the Indian men's and women's teams will take place in the Netherlands. Both teams are in Pool D in their respective categories.
On August 15, Independence Day, the men's team will begin their campaign against Wales. On August 17, they will play England, and two days later, they will play Pakistan.All three games will take place at Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen.
On August 16, the women's team will begin their campaign against China. On August 18 and 20, respectively, they will play South Africa and England. The Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen will host all of the women's team's group stage games.
On August 27 and 28, respectively, the men's and women's World Cup semifinals will be held. The men's summit match is set for the following day, while the women's World Cup final will take place on August 29. The men's knockout matches will be held in Wavre, while the women's will be held in Amsterdam.
Hockey World Cup 2026: An explanation of the formatThe 16 teams that competed in the men's and women's hockey world cups were split equally into four groups. Each group's top two players move on to the second round, while the bottom two are placed in the classification groups. While the top two teams from Pools B and C will be combined into Pool F, the top two teams from Pools A and D advance to Pool E for the second round. Each group's bottom two teams advance to Pools G and H, where they will no longer be eligible for medals.
The teams will play just two more games in the second round, carrying over their points from the group stage. The top two teams from each of Pools E and F will advance to the semifinals, and the third-place finishers from each group will compete for fifth place.
The Men's Hockey World Cup schedule for IndiaWales vs. India on August 15 at 4:30 PM IST
India vs. England on August 17 at 6:30 PM IST
India vs. Pakistan on August 19 at 6:30 PM IST
India's schedule for the Women's Hockey World CupChina vs. India on August 16 at 4:30 PM IST
South Africa vs. India on August 18 at 6:30 PM IST
India vs. England on August 20 at 6:30 PM IST
Pools for the 2026 Hockey World CupMenPool A: Japan, Argentina, New Zealand, and the NetherlandsPool B: France, Belgium, Germany, and MalaysiaPool C: South Africa, Spain, Ireland, and AustraliaPool D: Wales, Pakistan, India, and EnglandWomenPool A: Japan, Chile, Australia, and the NetherlandsPool B: Scotland, Germany, Argentina, and the United StatesPool C: Belgium, Spain, New Zealand, and IrelandPool D: South Africa, India, England, and ChinaRead Also