India to host Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup in 2025 after Nine-Years Hiatus!

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Entertainment | June 11, 2024 | News

Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup International Hockey Federation

India will host men's Junior Hockey World Cup in 2025, marking the event's return to the country after nine years, the Executive Board of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced. The tournament will be held in December and it will be the first time ever that a Hockey Junior World Cup will include as many as 24 teams.

This was announced by Tayyab Ikram, President, FIH saying, "Giving more opportunities to play to a larger and more diverse number of National Associations is one of the key pillars of our empowerment and engagement strategy. We saw at the FIH Hockey5s World Cup in Oman this year how more diversity brings a huge added value to our events.”

He further added, "Therefore, I’m very happy that we’ve increased the number of participating teams for the FIH Hockey Junior World Cups and I look forward to seeing these 24 young teams, representing the future of our sport, next year!"

The last edition of the tournament was held in Kuala Lumpur in 2023 with Germany emerging winners with a 2-1 win over France. Spain and India took the third and fourth places respectively.

India have, in the past, hosted the tournament three times in 2013 (New Delhi), 2016 (Lucknow) and 2021 (Bhubaneswar). India were the winners of the 2016 edition as well.

Dilip Tirkey, President, Hockey India said, "This prestigious tournament highlights India's growing importance in international hockey and shows our dedication to developing the sport for future generations. We're excited to share India's rich hockey history and provide a stage for young talent to showcase their skills."

Bhola Nath Singh, Secretary General, Hockey India said, "We appreciate the FIH's trust in us. This event offers a fantastic chance to bring hockey to even greater heights, inspiring a whole new generation of players and fans in India and globally. We're committed to making this tournament a memorable experience that celebrates everything hockey is about.”