The Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams have known their opponents in the group stage for the upcoming FIH Hockey World Cup, with both sides placed in Pool D of their respective categories for the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium later this year.The Indian men’s team was grouped with Pakistan, England and Wales. The draw took place on Tuesday at the Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam.The Indian women’s team will face China, England and South Africa in their group. The tournament will be held from August 15 to 30.According to the International Hockey Federation, both the Indian teams will play their matches in the Netherlands. The full fixture list should be released on Wednesday.Reigning men’s champions Germany, who beat Belgium in Bhubaneswar 2023 to win their third World Cup title, are placed in Group B along with Belgium, France and Malaysia.“The draw was made by hockey legends Naomie van As, Barbara Neelen and Teun de Nooijer, as well as DJ La Fuente, who was announced as the Dutch ambassador for the World Cup during the ceremony,” FIH said in a statement.Pools:Men:Group A: Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan (played in Netherlands)Group B: Belgium, Germany, France, Malaysia (played in Belgium)Group C: Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa (played in Belgium)Group D: England, India, Pakistan, Wales (played in Netherlands)Women:Group A: Netherlands, Australia, Chile, Japan (played in Netherlands)Group B: Argentina, Germany, USA, Scotland (played in Belgium)Group C: Belgium, Spain, New Zealand, Ireland (played in Belgium)Group D: China, England, India, South Africa (played in the Netherlands).
