The new format of the FIH men’s and women’s World Cups, starting from August 15 in the Netherlands and Belgium, presents teams with a challenging path to the final.
While the 16 teams will be divided into four groups of four, there will be no quarterfinals stage, which had a short-lived existence in only the 2018 and 2022/2023 editions.
The Indian men’s team has been placed in Pool D alongside England, Pakistan and Wales, while the women’s team will battle it out against China, England and South Africa in Pool D.
The top two sides from each group will then progress into the second stage, which will be split into two groups of four. The top two teams from those will then progress into the semifinals.
READ | ‘Still one short’: India’s Mandeep Singh looks to complete his medal cabinet at World Cup
If the India men’s team or one of England/Pakistan/Wales are through to round two, they will be paired with the top two sides from Pool A. In this scenario, India’s result against either of these three progressing teams from its Pool, will be carried forward into the second stage.
Hence, the Indian men’s team head coach Craig Fulton stressed the need for a strong start in the opening pool phase.
“The format of this tournament has obviously changed drastically — from having quarterfinals to not having them. So the emphasis on the pool games is really, really important, because it’s obviously the top two that go through. And the head-to-head result between those two teams matters: if one beats the other, those three points carry into the next round, and that puts you in the driving seat to get out of the next group and into the semifinals,” said Fulton.
Sjoerd Marijne, the women’s team head coach, felt the new format robbed the tournaments of the excitement of an additional knockout game.
“It’s an interesting draft schedule, but my preference is to have quarterfinals in a tournament format. I understand that for higher-ranked teams in the world they will prefer this, but I think quarterfinal matches are among the most exciting matches in a tournament,” said Marjine, who is back in-charge of the team since the start of the year.
Published on Aug 10, 2026
