India likely to field separate teams for Hockey World Cup, Asian Games: Sports Ministry source

With the Asian Games and the World Cup set to be held within a span of three weeks later this year, Hockey India is considering sending separate teams to the two tournaments, prioritising the continental event as it offers a direct qualification pathway to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The World Cup is scheduled to be held in Belgium and the Netherlands from August 15 to 30, while the Asian Games, an Olympic qualifier, will take place in Japan from September 19 to October 4. The gap between the two tournaments is only 20 days.

"We need to have two teams for the World Cup and Asian Games, and since the Asian Games is a qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics, our A team should go there," as per a source from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

There will be two separate FIH Hockey World Cup tournaments, one for men and the other for women. Both will be co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands from August 15 to 30. For each tournament, 16 hockey teams have been split into four pools of four teams each. Every team will play each other once in the group stage.

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan have been grouped in the same Pool in the Men's Hockey World Cup. The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan hockey match will take place on August 19. Japan is set to host the Asian Games from September 19 to October 4, with competition in some disciplines starting nine days before the official opening ceremony, according to the schedule released by the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee (AINAGOC).

Meanwhile, India will aim to surpass the historic 106-medal haul achieved at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022, with strategic planning, dedicated preparation, and unified coordination across all stakeholders for the Asian Games 2026. Over 700 Indian athletes are expected to compete across 40-plus sports disciplines at the 2026 games. (ANI)