FIH Hockey World Cup 2026: The countdown to the 2026 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup has begun with the best 16 hockey nations of the world all set to fight for the coveted title from August 15 to August 30, 2026. The Men’s Hockey World Cup will be co-hosted by two countries for the first time in the history of the tournament when Belgium and the Netherlands jointly host the event.
Defending champions Germany will look to retain their title while the likes of India, Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, Argentina and England will also fancy their chances of lifting the trophy.
All you need to know about FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026, complete men’s schedule, India fixtures, India vs Pakistan date, groups, format, venues and live streaming details.
FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Men’s Tournament Overview
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Tournament: FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026
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Dates: August 15 – August 30, 2026
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Hosts: Belgium & Netherlands
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Defending Champions: Germany
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Number of Teams: 16
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Venues:
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Wagener Hockey Stadium, Amstelveen (Netherlands)
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Belfius Hockey Arena, Wavre (Belgium)
New Tournament Format Explained
The 2026 edition introduces a new hybrid competition format.
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16 teams are divided into four pools of four teams each.
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The top two teams from every pool qualify for an Intermediate Round, where they form two new groups.
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Points earned against the other qualified team from the initial pool are carried forward.
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The top two teams from each Intermediate Round group advance directly to the semi-finals.
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Teams finishing third and fourth enter classification matches.
Unlike previous editions, there are no quarter-finals.
FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 Groups
Pool A
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Netherlands
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Argentina
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New Zealand
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Japan
Pool B
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Belgium
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Germany
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France
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Malaysia
Pool C
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Australia
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Spain
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Ireland
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South Africa
Pool D
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England
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India
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Pakistan
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Wales
India’s Group Stage Fixtures
India has been placed in the highly competitive Pool D alongside England, Pakistan and Wales.
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Date |
Match |
Time (IST) |
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August 15 |
India vs Wales |
4:30 PM |
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August 17 |
India vs England |
6:30 PM |
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August 19 |
India vs Pakistan |
6:30 PM |
The India-Pakistan encounter is expected to be one of the biggest matches of the tournament.
FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 Schedule (IST)
Saturday, August 15
|
Time |
Match |
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4:30 PM |
India vs Wales |
|
6:00 PM |
Germany vs Malaysia |
|
10:30 PM |
England vs Pakistan |
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12:30 AM (Aug 16) |
Belgium vs France |
Sunday, August 16
|
Time |
Match |
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3:00 PM |
Australia vs Ireland |
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6:00 PM |
Spain vs South Africa |
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7:30 PM |
Netherlands vs New Zealand |
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10:30 PM |
Argentina vs Japan |
Monday, August 17
|
Time |
Match |
|
4:00 PM |
Pakistan vs Wales |
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5:30 PM |
France vs Malaysia |
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6:30 PM |
India vs England |
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12:00 AM (Aug 18) |
Germany vs Belgium |
Tuesday, August 18
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Time |
Match |
|
1:00 PM |
New Zealand vs Japan |
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5:30 PM |
Spain vs Australia |
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8:30 PM |
Ireland vs South Africa |
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9:30 PM |
Argentina vs Netherlands |
Wednesday, August 19
|
Time |
Match |
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4:00 PM |
England vs Wales |
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6:30 PM |
Pakistan vs India |
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8:30 PM |
France vs Germany |
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12:00 AM (Aug 20) |
Belgium vs Malaysia |
Thursday, August 20
|
Time |
Match |
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2:30 PM |
Australia vs South Africa |
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4:00 PM |
New Zealand vs Argentina |
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8:30 PM |
Ireland vs Spain |
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9:30 PM |
Netherlands vs Japan |
Intermediate Round
August 21–24
The top two teams from each pool will progress to the Intermediate Round, where they will compete in two new groups before the semi-finals.
Knockout Stage
Friday, August 28
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Classification Matches
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Semi-final 1 – 9:30 PM IST
Saturday, August 29
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Semi-final 2 – 12:00 AM IST
Sunday, August 30
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Third-place Match – 5:30 PM IST
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Final – 8:00 PM IST
FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Live Streaming Details
India
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TV Broadcast: Star Sports Network
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Live Streaming: JioHotstar App and Website
Pakistan
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TV & Live Streaming: Tapmad
United States
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TV Broadcast: CBS Sports Network
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Live Streaming: Watch.Hockey (Pay-Per-View)
