New Delhi, March 18: After India was placed in Pool D alongside England, China, and South Africa for the FIH Hockey World Cup, chief coach Sjoerd Marijne is confident that his team is aware of the challenges ahead and can consistently showcase their style of hockey.
The Indian Women's Hockey Team is preparing for the tournament, which is scheduled to take place in August this year, following the draw revealed on Tuesday evening.
China is the top-ranked team in the group, currently ranked World No. 4. India's recent opponents in the finals and winners of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, Hyderabad, Telangana, include England (ranked sixth), with India and South Africa ranked ninth and nineteenth, respectively. With vastly different playing styles, the group will pose a challenging test for the Indian squad.
"This is a very competitive and balanced pool. There are teams like England and China that bring different styles and a lot of experience, while the South African women's national field hockey team is always unpredictable and dangerous on their day," Marijne said.
"However, for us, it's not about the draw – it's about how we perform. At a World Cup, every match demands your best. We respect all opponents, but our focus is on playing our style of hockey with consistency and courage," he added.
India finished in second place in the recently concluded FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Hyderabad, Telangana, narrowly losing to England in the final. Despite the final hurdle, there were many positives for the team. They finished the tournament as the second-highest goal scorers (11 goals), with six of those coming from penalty corners.
Reflecting on the tournament, Marijne encouraged the team to constantly look to improve and find consistency, with emphasis on being more clinical on both ends of the field. He said, "We've done well going forward, but the most important thing for us is to focus on converting our chances into goals – whether it is from field goals or from penalty corners. Besides this, we also have to continue working on our defensive structures."
Having guided the team to a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Marijne returned to lead the side in January this year. Elaborating on his vision for the squad, he stated, "We are building something long-term. We want to build a team that is resilient, adaptable, and fearless. Qualifying was the first step, but we are aiming for much more. The initial steps have been made in the right direction, but there is much more to go if we want to be successful."
Looking forward to the team's tournament while highlighting the preparations, Marijne concluded, "We have a tour to the USA and Argentina, the Nations Cup in New Zealand, and practice matches in Germany. We will also play some matches in the Netherlands. These scheduled games, combined with our training camps, will set us up for a very good mix of matches and training to be ready for the World Cup and the Asian Games."