Bhubaneswar: Defending champions India will debut their campaign against France on the first day of the FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup on November 24, which will be hosted at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The pool for the junior showpiece was released on Wednesday by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
India has been drawn in Pool B, which includes Canada, France, and Poland. Belgium, Chile, Malaysia, and South Africa are in Pool A, whereas Korea, Netherlands, Spain, and the United States are in Pool C. Pool D includes Argentina, Egypt, Germany, and Pakistan.
Belgium-South Africa, Malaysia-Chile, Germany-Pakistan, and Canada-Poland are the other matchups of the first day, in addition to India-France. Following their encounter against France, India will face Canada on November 25 before facing Poland on November 27.
On December 3 and 5, the semifinals and final will be held, respectively. Poland has been brought in here to fill the void left by England’s withdrawal from the tournament because of the travel concerns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The FIH also announced the pools and match schedules for the Women’s Junior World Cup, which will take place from December 5 to 16 in Potchefstroom, South Africa. The Indian team is in Pool C, alongside defending champions Argentina, Japan, and Russia. The Indians will begin their campaign on December 6 against Russia, followed by matches against Argentina (December 7) and Japan (December 8). (December 9).
