The FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 gets underway today across dual venues in Belgium and the Netherlands, featuring a packed opening-day schedule headlined by the Indian men’s team taking on Wales. Jointly hosted at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen and the Belfius Arena in Wavre, this tournament gathers sixteen top squads competing under an expanded joint-format. Drawn in Pool D alongside England, Pakistan, and Wales, the Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian squad enters the campaign with serious ambition, looking to break a long-standing World Cup podium drought when they step onto the turf against Wales at 4:30 PM IST in Amstelveen.
A string of competitive fixtures across both the men’s and women’s tournaments follows throughout the opening day. On the men's side, right after the India-Wales clash, reigning champions Germany go up against Malaysia in Pool B at 6:00 PM IST in Wavre. Later in the night, England square off against traditional rivals Pakistan in an electric Pool D showdown at 10:30 PM IST in Amstelveen, before co-hosts Belgium take on France in a late-night fixture kicking off at 12:30 AM IST. Over in the women's competition, heavyweights are also in early action, with Australia facing Japan, Germany meeting Scotland, titleholders Netherlands battling Chile, and Argentina clashing with the United States.
For fans in India planning to follow every penalty corner and counter-attack live, the tournament is being broadcast on television across the Star Sports Network. Online viewers can stream every match live on the JioHotstar app and website. Supporters in Pakistan can tune in via the Tapmad streaming platform, while international audiences outside South Asia can watch through the FIH’s official Watch.Hockey service. After today’s opener, the Indian men's team will face England on August 17, followed by their blockbuster group-stage clash against Pakistan on August 19.