India Enter Final Phase of Preparations for FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 With One Month Remaining

New Delhi, July 15, 2026: With just one month remaining before the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026 gets underway, the Indian men's and women's hockey teams have entered the final phase of their preparations at the national coaching camps being held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Bengaluru.

The prestigious tournament, scheduled from August 15 to August 30, will mark the first time that both the men's and women's World Cups are held simultaneously at the same venues in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Men's Team Builds Momentum Ahead of World Cup

The Indian men's team heads into the tournament with renewed confidence following an encouraging FIH Hockey Pro League campaign in Rotterdam and London. India registered impressive victories over reigning world champions Germany and Paris Olympics gold medallists the Netherlands, while also defeating Pakistan and producing a strong performance against England.

"The players have come into the camp fresh (after a break following the Pro League tour of Europe), and you can see it in the energy on the pitch. The sessions have been sharp and competitive, with everyone eager to be back together. The first few days had been about getting the legs moving again, re-establishing our standards and now we are gradually building the intensity as we prepare for the World Cup," said Indian Men's Hockey Team Chief Coach Craig Fulton.

The 1975 world champions have been drawn in Pool D alongside England, Pakistan and Wales. India will open their campaign against Wales on August 15 before taking on England on August 17 and arch-rivals Pakistan on August 19.

The clash against England is expected to be one of India's toughest pool-stage assignments following several closely contested encounters between the two sides in recent months. However, the meeting with Pakistan remains one of the marquee fixtures of the opening phase of the tournament.

"We're doing strong conditioning work early in the week to build our physical base, before moving into more tactical, unit-based sessions as the week progresses. We're also doing a lot of small-sided games to keep decision-making sharp under fatigue, alongside daily video reviews to reinforce learning and specific work on our press and counter. It's about improving what we're already good at and continuing to build on those strengths," Fulton added.

Women's Team Carries Winning Momentum

The Indian women's team enters the World Cup on the back of a memorable unbeaten triumph at the FIH Nations Cup, a campaign that has provided the squad with significant confidence ahead of the biggest tournament of the year.

Drawn in Pool D, India will begin their World Cup journey against title contenders China on August 16 before facing South Africa on August 18 and England on August 20.

"The team is very motivated for the upcoming period with the two major tournaments (World Cup and Asian Games) ahead. The players are excited and you can clearly see that energy during our training sessions. Everyone is working hard every day, and there is a real hunger within the group to keep improving," said Indian Women's Team Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne.

"Our focus remains on ourselves. We want to take another step forward, especially in terms of fitness, while continuing to improve the areas we have been working on over the past few months. We have a good balance of high, medium and low-intensity sessions because you cannot train at maximum intensity every day. Our strength and conditioning coaches closely monitor every player to make sure the team is ready. I can see the progress we are making, both individually and as a team, and that gives me a lot of confidence going into the World Cup," Marijne added.

Countdown Begins

With just a month left before the tournament begins, both Indian teams are focused on fine-tuning their tactical preparations, physical conditioning and match readiness. Strong performances in recent international competitions have raised expectations as India aims to make a deep run in both the men's and women's editions of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026.

 

(Inputs from Press Release)