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Hockey World Cup
Indian men's hockey coach Craig Fulton has promised a "tailored and detailed" plan for each one of the tricky opponents that await his team in the World Cup later this year and backed the currently faltering side to peak at the right time. India have managed just one win this season, a penalty shootout triumph over Australia in an FIH Pro League match in Hobart. The team is drawn to play top-seeded England, traditional rivals Pakistan, and a determined Wales side in Pool D of the World Cup starting August 15 in the Netherlands and Belgium. All group-stage matches will be held at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands. "We'll be working hard on our structure, our press, and our finishing - the fine margins that decide games at this level. Every opponent in this pool has different strengths, so our preparation will be tailored and detailed. The next few months are about peaking at exactly the right moment," Fulton was quoted as saying in a Hockey India press ...
India women's hockey team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne is banking on a mix of overseas tours, competitive exposure and national camps to ready the side for the World Cup and Asian games this year. The World Cup is scheduled to be held in Belgium and Netherlands in August, while the Asian Games will take place in Japan in September. The Indian women's team will compete in the FIH Hockey Nations Cup in Auckland from June 15 to 21. They are also scheduled to tour the United States and Argentina, and play matches against Germany and the Netherlands. "We have a tour to USA and Argentina, the Nations Cup in New Zealand, and practice matches in Germany. We will also play some matches in the Netherlands," Marijne said in media release. "These scheduled games combined with our camps set us up for a very good mix of matches and training to be ready for the World Cup and Asian Games." India have been placed in Pool D alongside England, China and South Africa. China are the top-ranked side in
The Indian men's team has been drawn alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, strong contenders England and Wales in the group stage of the FIH Hockey World Cup to be co-hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium later this year. During the draw ceremony held here on Tuesday at the iconic Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam, the Indian women's team was placed alongside China, England and South Africa in the prestigious tournament, scheduled to be held from August 15 to 30. Both the Indian men's and women's teams, placed in Pool D in their respective categories, will play their matches in the Netherlands, according to the International Hockey Federation (FIH), which added that the full match schedule will be announced on Wednesday. Germany, the reigning men's champions who clinched their third World Cup title in 2023 in Bhubaneswar by defeating Belgium, have been placed in Pool B alongside Belgium, France and Malaysia. "The draw was done by hockey legends Naomie van As, Barbara Neelen and Teun de Nooije
An unhappy Pakistan hockey team has flown to Egypt for a crucial World Cup qualifier tournament under the supervision of a interim head coach Khawaja Junaid who was banned for life in 2023 by an inquiry committee of the national federation. "Junaid will supervise the team and the interim president Muhuyuddin Wani brought him on board because of the short time available before the World Cup qualifiers," a spokesperson of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) said. A reliable source in the PHF said the players were not happy with the appointment of Junaid, an Olympian, as they had asked the federation to hire Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans at least for the qualifying tournament. "Captain Ammad Butt also tried to contact the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi but he was unsucessful," the source said. He said Junaid was not a popular choice of the players because of his past record as head coach of the senior and junior teams. In 2023, an independent inquiry committee of the
Seven-time champions Germany had to dig deep to keep their hopes of title defence alive as they progressed into the semifinals of the FIH Men's Junior World Cup, edging out a gutsy France 3-1 in shoot-out after both the teams were locked 2-2 at the end of regulation time here on Friday. In the 2023 edition, seven-time champions Germany eked out a narrow 2-1 win over France in the final to claim the title. In the shoot-out, Jonas von Gersum, Justus Warweg and Lukas Kossel, who scored from a penalty stroke, were the goal getters for Germany, while France's lone strike in the shoot-out came from Aristide Michaelis. All credit goes to German goalie Jasper Ditzer, who produced a superlative show, not just in the shoot-out but all throughout the enthralling contest. On Friday, it turned out to be a hard-fought contest between the two sides but France had better share of circle penetrations and chances. France had the first real scoring chance in the form a penalty corner in the 13th min
Rutaja Pisal scored four goals while Deepika Soreng struck thrice as India hammered New Zealand 11-1 to enter the semifinals of the FIH Women's Hockey5s World Cup here. New Zealand took the lead courtesy a goal from Oriwa Hepi (2nd minute) but India equalized within fifteen seconds as Deepika Soreng (2nd) found the back of the net with an astonishing finish. Rutaja (9th) put India in the lead before Mumtaz Khan (10th, 11th) quickly fired back-to-back goals. The goalfest continued with India again scoring two more quick goals, this time from Mariana Kujur (13th, 14th) as the first half ended with India leading 6-1. India's control of proceedings continued and Rutaja (22nf) scored her second goal of the match. Deepika (25th) also brought up her second goal before Rutaja (26th, 28th) added two more goals to her tally. Deepika (29th) then scored another goal to complete her hat-trick as India won the game 11-1. India face South Africa in the semifinal.