Published: August 14, 2026 at 3:36 pm
The FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 gets underway on August 15, with the men’s and women’s tournaments taking place simultaneously across Belgium and the Netherlands.
For the Indian men’s hockey team, the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 presents an opportunity to end a wait of more than five decades. India’s last World Cup triumph came in 1975, but the team heads into this edition with renewed belief after winning the 2025 Asia Cup. Belgium and the Netherlands, the co-hosts, will also be among the teams to watch, with strong squads and the advantage of playing on home turf, while Australia, Germany and Argentina bring proven quality and tournament experience and could pose a strong challenge to India’s title ambitions.
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For the Indian women’s team, the opportunity is just as significant, but for a different reason. India have never won the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup, making this a golden opportunity for the team to create a legacy of their own.
The tournament will be broadcast live on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network from 4:30 pm onwards, with India’s men’s team beginning their campaign against Wales on Saturday (August 15), followed by the women’s team taking on China on Sunday (August 16).
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The new format of the FIH Hockey World Cup gives fans another reason to stay invested from the very first whistle, with the familiar quarterfinals replaced by a second group stage. After three matches in the opening pool, the top two teams advance to a second stage where they play two more games, with their head-to-head points from the first stage carried forward, making every result, point and goal potentially decisive in the route to the semifinals.
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For Indian hockey fans, all 100 matches will stream live on JioHotstar, while India’s matches will be available with English and Hindi commentary on Star Sports channels. Beyond live action, fans can catch a host of shows building up to the global spectacle through JioStar’s surround programming. ‘The World Cup Dream’, captures the passion and determination of hockey’s elite athletes; ‘Anthem in the Jersey’, highlights the pride, sacrifice and determination of players chasing world cup glory; other shows will give a glimpse of stories on fans, rivalries, national identities and the psychology of the game, bringing audiences closer to the people and stories behind the FIH Hockey World Cup.
Across 15 days, 32 teams will compete in 100 matches, with 16 teams each in the men’s and women’s tournaments. With two World Cups, high stakes and history waiting to be made, fans will have plenty of reasons to follow every moment of the action.
