The FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2025 is set to take place in Chennai and Madurai, India, from November 28 to December 10. This 14th edition of the tournament marks a historic moment as it expands to include 24 teams for the first time.
The draw for the tournament, held on June 28, 2025, in Lausanne, Switzerland, has placed India in Pool B alongside Pakistan, Chile, and Switzerland. Pool A consists of Germany, South Africa, Canada, and Ireland. Argentina, New Zealand, Japan, and China will compete in Pool C. Pool D includes Spain, Belgium, Egypt, and Namibia, while Pool E features the Netherlands, Malaysia, England, and Austria. France, Australia, Korea and Bangladesh are in Pool F.
This edition of the Junior World Cup will be the third to be held in India, with previous tournaments taking place in New Delhi (2013), Lucknow (2016), and Bhubaneswar (2021). Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey noted that while Chennai hosted the Asian Champions Trophy in 2023, Madurai will be hosting an international event of this magnitude for the first time.
The tournament format will see the 24 teams split into six groups of four, playing a round-robin within their groups. Following the preliminary round, teams will be ranked based on theirperformance. The top team from each group and the two best second-placed teams will advance to the quarterfinals. The remaining second-placed teams and the four best third-ranked teams will compete in playoffs for 9th to 16th place, while the remaining teams will play for 17th to 24th place. A knockout system will then be used to determine the winners.
FIH President Tayyab Ikram highlighted the importance of providing opportunities for a larger and more diverse number of national associations to participate. He also expressed gratitude to the Tamil Nadu leadership and the Indian government for their support of hockey. Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh said that the pool draw marked a landmark moment for the world of hockey.
Germany is the most successful team in the history of the Junior Men's Hockey World Cup, with seven titles. They are also the defending champions, having defeated France in the 2023 final. India has won the tournament twice, in 2001 and 2016. In the 2023 edition, India finished in fourth place after losing to Spain in the third-place playoff.
