India to host 2025 Junior Hockey World Cup

India will host the Junior Hockey World Cup next year. It will be the first time that a men's junior hockey world cup will feature 24 teams.

The tournament will be held in December and will be the fourth edition to be held in India after 2013 (New Delhi), 2016 (Lucknow) and 2021 (Bhubaneswar).

FIH President Tayyab Ikram said in the announcement: "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.

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"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!" he added.

The last edition 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.

"At this stage, I would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to Hockey India for their commitment to organise yet another fantastic event," Ikram added.

Extending his gratitude, president of Hockey India Dilip Tirkey 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."

Hockey India Secretary general Bhola Nath Singh termed this a significant step.

"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," he added.