India will keep up its tradition of hosting international hockey events with the men’s Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar, from August 27 to September 7. The junior men’s World Cup will be held in Chennai in December, although the exact dates are yet to be confirmed.
India Continues Tradition of Hosting International Hockey Events in 2025
“The venues of these two international events have been finalised. We are planning everything keeping in mind the World Cup qualification and 2026 Nagoya Asian Games and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh said.
The eight-team Asia Cup will be crucial for the India team, coached by Craig Fulton, as the winner will qualify for the 2026 World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands.
With India’s strong performance in recent years, winning bronze at the last two Olympics , this could be their best chance to reach the podium for the first time in 51 years. India’s only World Cup victory came in 1975, when Ajit Pal Singh’s team defeated Pakistan in the final.
India’s Asia Cup History: A Strong Comeback Since 2007
Since India qualified automatically as hosts for the last two World Cups in 2018 and 2023, the 2017 and 2022 Asia Cups weren’t very important. In the 2022 tournament, a weakened Indian team won the bronze medal in Jakarta, with South Korea taking the top spot.
This will be the first time India hosts the Asia Cup since Chennai in 2007. Rajgir had previously hosted the women’s Asian Champions Trophy in November.
The junior World Cup will be held in India for the fourth time. Previous tournaments were held in New Delhi in 2013, Lucknow in 2016, and Bhubaneswar in 2021.
The last tournament was in Kuala Lumpur in 2023, where Germany won. In 2025, for the first time, 24 teams will compete, up from the usual 16.
ALSO READ: Pat Cummins Surpasses Virat Kohli To Equal Record For Most Wins As Captain In WTC 2023-25
