India will renew their rivalry with Pakistan after both teams were drawn in Pool D of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026, following the draw held in Amsterdam on Tuesday.
England and Wales complete the group, with world No. 4 England the highest-ranked side. India are ranked eighth, while Pakistan sit 12th and Wales 16th.
The India vs Pakistan fixture has featured five times in Hockey World Cup history, with India winning two of those encounters.
A total of 16 hockey teams were split into four groups of four in the men’s draw. India qualified for the tournament by winning the Asia Cup last year.
FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 pools
Pool A: Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan
Pool B: Belgium, Germany, France, Malaysia
Pool C: Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa
Pool D: England, India, Pakistan, Wales
Meanwhile, India will have to face the People’s Republic of China, England and South Africa in Pool D of the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026.
World No. 4 China are the top-ranked side in the group. India are ranked ninth, while England and South Africa are sixth and 19th, respectively.
India qualified for the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup after finishing runners-up in the qualifiers held in Hyderabad earlier this month.
FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026 pools
Pool A: Netherlands, Australia, Chile, Japan
Pool B: Argentina, Germany, United States of America, Scotland
Pool C: Belgium, Spain, New Zealand, Ireland
Pool D: China, England, India, South Africa
Both the men’s and women’s FIH Hockey World Cups will be co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands and will run from August 15 to 30.
The Indian women have qualified for the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup eight times in the past with their best performance – fourth – coming in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1974. They finished ninth in the 2022 Women’s Hockey World Cup in Spain.
Meanwhile, the Indian men’s team have qualified for all 15 previous editions of the Hockey World Cup, with their sole title triumph coming in 1975.
Germany are the defending champions men’s hockey world champions, while co-hosts Netherlands head into the tournament as the reigning women’s title holders.
