One of the most intense rivalries in international hockey is set to be renewed as India and Pakistan prepare to face off in the upcoming 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup. The two South Asian nations, who share a long history of partition and conflict, have been drawn into the same group for the men’s tournament, which kicks off this Saturday.
The 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup will be co-hosted by Wavre, Belgium, and Amstelveen, The Netherlands, running from August 15 to August 30. Both the men’s and women’s competitions will feature 16 teams each, organized into four distinct pools. Germany enters the men’s event as the defending world champions from 2023, while the Netherlands holds the women’s title from 2022.
This year’s tournament introduces a significant format change by eliminating the traditional quarterfinal stage. Instead, the competition will transition into a second phase known as “crossover pools.” Following the initial pool stage, teams will be re-grouped into four new pools—E, F, G, and H—based on their first-round performance, with each team playing three additional matches. The top two finishers from Pools E and F will advance directly to the semifinals, while the remaining teams will compete in classification matches to determine final rankings from 5th to 16th place. The tournament concludes with the bronze-medal match and the final.
The men’s Pool D features England, India, Pakistan, and Wales. India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet on August 19 at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen. The match is set to begin at 15:00 local time, which corresponds to 6:30pm in India and 6:00pm in Pakistan. This encounter marks the first time the two rivals have met in a World Cup in 16 years; their last meeting occurred during the 2010 edition in New Delhi, where India secured a 4-1 victory.
Historically, India and Pakistan have faced each other five times in the Hockey World Cup, with India winning three matches and Pakistan winning two. Their only final appearance against one another took place in 1975, resulting in a 2-1 victory for India. While Pakistan remains the most successful team in the tournament’s history with four titles (1971, 1978, 1982, and 1994), India has claimed one title (1975) and holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals with eight.
The men’s tournament pools are as follows: Pool A includes Argentina, Japan, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Pool B consists of Belgium, France, Germany, and Malaysia. Pool C features Australia, Spain, Ireland, and South Africa, while Pool D contains England, India, Pakistan, and Wales. The women’s tournament pools are: Pool A (Australia, Chile, Japan, Netherlands), Pool B (Argentina, Germany, Scotland, United States), Pool C (Belgium, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand), and Pool D (China, England, India, South Africa).
The tournament schedule includes a series of opening matches. On August 15, the lineup features India vs Wales (13:00, Pool D), Germany vs Malaysia (14:30, Pool B), England vs Pakistan (19:00, Pool D), and Belgium vs France (21:00, Pool B). On August 16, matches include Australia vs Ireland (11:30, Pool C), Spain vs South Africa (14:30, Pool C), Netherlands vs New Zealand (16:00, Pool A), and Argentina vs Japan (19:00, Pool A).
Further pool action continues on August 17 with Pakistan vs Wales (12:30, Pool D), France vs Malaysia (14:00, Pool B), India vs England (15:00, Pool D), and Germany vs Belgium (20:30, Pool B). On August 18, the schedule features New Zealand vs Japan (09:30, Pool A), Spain vs Australia (14:00, Pool C), Ireland vs South Africa (17:00, Pool C), and Argentina vs Netherlands (18:00, Pool A). On August 19, the fixtures are England vs Wales (12:30, Pool D), Pakistan vs India (15:00, Pool D), France vs Germany (17:00, Pool B), and Belgium vs Malaysia (20:30, Pool B). On August 20, matches include Australia vs South Africa (11:00, Pool C), New Zealand vs Argentina (12:30, Pool A), Ireland vs Spain (17:00, Pool C), and Netherlands vs Japan (18:00, Pool A).
The crossover phase begins on August 22 and 23, featuring matches such as 3rd Pool B vs 4th Pool C (Pool H), 3rd Pool C vs 4th Pool B (Pool H), 1st Pool C vs 2nd Pool B (Pool F), and 1st Pool B vs 2nd Pool C (Pool F). On August 23, games include 4th Pool A vs 4th Pool D (Pool G), 3rd Pool A vs 3rd Pool D (Pool G), 2nd Pool A vs 2nd Pool D (Pool E), and 1st Pool A vs 1st Pool D (Pool E). The tournament concludes with classification matches and the final on August 30, with the bronze-medal match at 14:00 and the final at 16:30.
The only Hockey World Cup final between them was played in 1975, and ended in a 2-1 win for India.
India have won just once, in 1975.
However, they hold the record for most Olympic gold medals (8).
Al Jazeera tells you everything you need to know before India vs Pakistan
10:00 – 3rd Pool A vs 4th Pool D (Pool G) 13:00 – 3rd Pool D vs 4th Pool A (Pool G) 16:00 – 1st Pool A vs 2nd Pool D (Pool E) 19:00 – 1st Pool D vs 2nd Pool A (Pool E)
09:30 – 4th Pool A vs 4th Pool D (Pool G) 12:30 – 3rd Pool A vs 3rd Pool D (Pool G) 14:45 – 2nd Pool A vs 2nd Pool D (Pool E) 18:00 – 1st Pool A vs 1st Pool D (Pool E)
