India Targets FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup After Men’s Hockey5s Asia Cup Victory

India Aims for FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup Glory After Asia Cup Victory

In a grand ceremony held in Salalah, Oman, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) unveiled the pools for the highly anticipated FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024. This inaugural event is scheduled to take place from January 24 to 31, 2024, in Muscat.

Sixteen nations are set to compete, organized into four groups of four teams each. India finds itself placed in Pool B alongside Egypt, Switzerland, and Jamaica.

India’s qualification for this prestigious tournament comes on the heels of their triumphant performance at the inaugural Men’s Hockey5s Asia Cup. In a thrilling final showdown in Salalah, Oman, India emerged victorious, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan 4-4 (2-0 SO).

Mandeep Mor, who captained the Indian team during the Asia Cup, shared his perspective on the competition ahead: “We will not take any teams lightly. We have a good time to prepare for the tournament and we will look to improve in certain areas. We will also study our opponents thoroughly and see their match footage to get an understanding of what we can expect.”

Pool A features the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, and Nigeria, while Pool C includes Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago, and Kenya. Hosts Oman are placed in Pool D, where they will face Malaysia, the United States, and Fiji.

Mandeep continued, “There are some really strong teams that have qualified for the inaugural edition of the FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024. Everyone will enter the tournament with the hopes of becoming the first-ever World Champions, and we want to do that as well. We will focus on our own game and try to stick to our game plans to achieve positive results.”

Reflecting on their Asia Cup journey, Mandeep Mor said, “We performed really well and we stuck to our plans. We had to face some tough situations during the matches when we were trailing. But we kept our composure and managed to maintain a positive frame of mind. We felt we kept growing as a unit throughout the competition, and hence we were able to win the trophy.”

India’s strong showing in the Asia Cup, which included wins against Bangladesh, Oman, Malaysia, and Japan, has boosted their confidence ahead of the FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024.

Mandeep concluded, “The tournament has helped us grow our confidence in heaps and bounds. We feel we have learned a lot about our strengths and the areas where we can improve upon. We will hope to continue our momentum and aim for a podium finish at the inaugural FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024.”