Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Former champions India will start their campaign against Chile in the FIH Hockey Junior World Cup at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai on November 28. Defending champions Germany will meet South Africa in the tournament opener in Madurai, as the 24-team mega event will be played at two venues in Tamil Nadu, as per the match schedule for the event released on September 9. The marquee match between archrivals India and Pakistan will be played in Chennai on November 29.
The highly anticipated match schedule for the tournament was announced in a ceremony that took place in Chennai, with FIH President Tayyab Ikram in attendance, along with Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin, Hockey India President Dr. Dilip Tirkey, and Hockey India Secretary General Bholanath Singh. The World Cup, which will see participation from 24 teams for the very first time, will be played in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10, 2025.
The 24 teams have been divided into six pools of four each. The announcement of the match schedule takes the tournament one step closer to the start of the biggest Junior World Cup in FIH history. There were doubts over Pakistan;s participation, refusing to travel to India, just like they did for the Senior Men’s Asia Cup that concluded in Rajgir in Bihar on Sunday. But the announcement of the match schedule confirms that Pakistan will be sending its team to India to play in the event. Speaking at the ceremony, FIH President Tayyab Ikram said, “The launch of the match schedule for the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 marks another exciting milestone on our journey to this prestigious event.
