March 19, New Delhi: The Indian men's hockey team will kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign against Wales on August 15 in Amstelveen, Netherlands. They will then face England on August 17, followed by a high-profile match against Pakistan on August 19.
The women's team will begin their tournament against China on August 16, before matches against South Africa on August 18 and England on August 20.
Both the men's and women's competitions will run simultaneously in the Netherlands and Belgium from August 15 to 30. The 16 teams in each section are divided into four pools of four. The top two from each pool advance to the second stage, forming two new groups. After two more matches, the top two teams in each group will move into the semi-finals.
