Two-time champion India will clash with Korea in their opening match of the 15th Junior Men’s Hockey world cup on 5th December in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
The FIH unveiled the pools and the schedule and the Logo of the Jr World Cup Saturday.
India, ranked third in the FIH Ranking, is placed in pool “C” along with Canada, Korea ,Spain in this the 16-nation tournament to be played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 5th to 16th December .
Other pools are; Pool A: Argentina, Australia, Chile ,Malaysia, Pool B: Egypt, France, Germany, South Africa and Pool D: Belgium, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan.
India will take on Spain in their second Pool game on 7th December., the Men in Blue In will face Canada their third and last Pool game, on 9th December
Winner of this year’s Junior Asia Cup in Oman, India will enter the World Cup with high confidence, aiming to secure the coveted trophy for the third time as they have clinched it twice already in 2001 and 2016. India also won a silver medal in the tournament in 1997 when they lost 3-2 to Australia in the final.
Germany is the most successful team in the tournament’s history, having won the title six times. They are followed by defending champions Argentina and India, who have won the elusive trophy two times each. Also, Australia and Pakistan have each won the tournament once.
Meanwhile, Argentina have topped the list of newly announced FIH Junior rankings, while Germany is ranked second. Netherlands and Belgium are fourth and fifth respectively on the list.
Commenting on the draw , Indian Junior team coach CR Kumar said, “ 164 days left to step onto the stage of the event where India would like to taste the third win in World Cup. It’s a long way and these young lads have the ability to create one more centre-stage finish. We have five players from the last World Cup and they play a lead role in our team and others are gaining experience by working along with them.
“We are lucky to have a couple of tournaments before the Junior World Cup to gain match experiences against different opponents to enhance our confidence. We thank all the stakeholders for their optimum support.” he added.
Talking about the new rankings and Pools draw, Junior Asia Cup winning Captain Uttam Singh said, “We are thrilled that are ranked third in the World. This new ranking reflects the dedication and hard work our team has put in over the years. Also, the Pool’s draw for the World Cup has set the stage for some intense competition. We are thrilled to be part of such a prestigious tournament and look forward to testing our mettle against the world’s best junior teams. Our goal is to make our country proud and leave a lasting impression.”
As per the format, each team in the Pool stage will play the other three teams in their respective Pool once and the top two teams from each Pool will progress to the Quarter-Finals, while the remaining teams will play for classification positions.