When India celebrates its 80th Independence Day, its men’s hockey team will open its World Cup campaign against Wales in Amstelveen, aiming to end a 51-year medal drought. Because of hockey’s emotional connection with Indians, the wait has been agonising for the eight-time Olympic champion. It won its last medal when the Ajit Pal Singh-led side lifted the trophy in Kuala Lumpur in 1975 during the pre-synthetic turf era. Trust in the present Harmanpreet Singh-captained side has grown after India broke a 41-year Olympic jinx with bronze in Tokyo in 2021 and retained it in Paris 2024. Under coach Craig Fulton, the team won Asian Games gold in 2023, Olympic bronze in 2024, and the Asia Cup in 2025, with the last one helping it qualify for the World Cup. Despite finishing eighth in the FIH Pro League 2025-26, India showed positive signs by beating World champion Germany and Olympic champion the Netherlands. After experiencing experimentation, defeats and two controversies — involving most-capped player Manpreet Singh, and the unwarranted decision to change the jersey from the familiar blue to saffron, the squad has regrouped for its first World Cup following the retirement of legendary custodian P.R. Sreejesh. After Wales, the eighth-ranked side faces a formidable England and traditional rival Pakistan in the pool.
Comprising two-time Olympic medallists and promising youngsters, the team, placed sixth and ninth in the last two editions, now targets a higher finish in the World Cup before embarking next month on a mission to retain the Asian Games gold, which will earn it a berth in the 2028 Olympics. The Salima Tete-led women’s team has rebuilt under Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne after turmoil caused first by the exit of his predecessor and then by an alleged sexual harassment case involving a former Hockey India official. Marijne, who took India to its best-ever fourth in Tokyo in his first stint, guided it to World Cup qualification and Nations Cup victory. Despite the Hockey India League experience and the exposure to foreign players, the team of five 200-cap players and 11 debutants may find it tough to match 1974’s fourth-place finish. Ranked ninth, India plays Olympic silver medallist China on August 16, then South Africa and higher-ranked England. It will target a better position than 2022’s ninth before switching focus to the Asian Games. For the first time, the World Cup for both genders involving 32 teams altogether, with a new and tricky format, is co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands. Both the Indian teams must play as cohesive units to build towards Los Angeles 2028.
Published – August 14, 2026 12:10 am IST
