India, Pak to faceoff at FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup in Tamil Nadu

India and Pakistan will be facing off at the FIH Hockey Men's Junior (Under-21) World Cup that is to be hosted in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu between November and December. The high-profile match between arch-rival nations is scheduled to be held in Chennai on 29thNovember. According to the match schedule, the event featuring 24 teams would be hosted in Tamil Nadu's capital city, Chennai, and the state's cultural capital city Madurai, about 450 km south of Chennai.

This will be the third FIH Junior Men’s World Cup to be held in India and the 14th overall. India hosted the 2016 edition in Lucknow and the 2021 edition in Bhubaneswar. Scheduled be held between November 28th and December 10th, for the first time, the tournament will see 24 teams competing for the coveted title.

The FIH Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup was initially a 12-team tournament, which increased to 16 in the 2001 edition. The 2023 edition of the FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup in Malaysia also featured 16 teams.

Speaking about the upcoming World Cup, Dilip Tirkey, veteran Indian hockey player and President of Hockey India, said, perhaps, it is the first time that the Junior World Cup is being hosted in two venues. He also hailed the Indian Men’s hockey which was crowned Asia Cup 2025 champions after they beat the Republic of Korea 4-1.

With the win, India ended their eight-year wait to regain their title and qualified for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 in the Netherlands and Belgium. This was India’s fourth Asia Cup hockey win. Their last triumph came in 2017 in Dhaka.

However, there are concerns about the timing of the event, as it would be taking place during the peak of the northeast monsoon season when Tamil Nadu receives a significant amount of rainfall, and witnesses extreme weather due to cyclonic storms. Officials clarified that amid a packed International hockey calendar and back-to-back matches, this chosen period is the most suitable for all International teams.

Releasing the event schedule, Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said that the State Government has allocated Rs. 65crores ($7.4mn) for organising the event and scaling up infrastructure. This will include the establishment of a synthetic turf in Madurai. He added that the State has had a legacy of hosting International sporting events such as the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad, Squash World Cup, Asian Hockey Champions Trophy, Khelo India Youth games, Chennai Open WTA 250, among others.

In the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup tournament, Germany are the most successful team with seven titles. They are also the defending champions, having beaten France in the 2023 final played at the National Hockey Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Meanwhile, India had settled for a fourth-place finish after losing 3-1 to Spain in 2023. It was the second time in two editions that the junior Indian hockey team lost the third-place match. India had finished in the same position in 2021 after losing to France 3-1.

India are the two-time FIH Hockey Junior World Cup champions, having won the titles in 2001 and 2016.