After a successful year, the Indian Hockey team is preparing for a packed 2026 schedule featuring significant international competitions. They are set to defend their Asian Games title in Japan and participate in the FIH Men’s World Cup, highlighting a year focused on crucial global matches.
The Hockey India League’s second season, revived successfully, will commence the new year. The Women’s HIL will conclude on January 10 in Ranchi, while the Men’s HIL will run from January 3 to January 26, with matches in Chennai, Ranchi, and Bhubaneswar, culminating at the Kalinga Stadium.
Following the domestic season, the men’s team will engage in the Indian leg of the FIH Pro League at Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela from February 10-15. Subsequently, fixtures are scheduled in Australia from February 21-25, followed by matches in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in June for the remaining Pro League games.
The women’s team will participate in the World Cup Qualifiers on home ground in Hyderabad from March 8-14, a crucial opportunity to secure a spot in the 2026 FIH Women’s World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands. Strong competitors like England, Scotland, Korea, Italy, Uruguay, Wales, and Austria will be part of the qualifiers.
In August, the team will compete in the FIH Hockey World Cup, hosted jointly by Belgium and the Netherlands from August 14-30, aiming to build on their recent Olympic success and vie for a podium finish. The season will continue in September with both teams heading to Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, for the 20th Asian Games from September 19 to October 4, seeking to defend their championship title.
Apart from these international events, Hockey India remains committed to nurturing talent at the grassroots level, with a structured domestic calendar providing young players with competitive opportunities and serving as a talent pool for the senior national teams.
