The FIH junior world cup will be played towards the end of 2021 and exact dates would be announced later
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced India as the hosts for next year’s junior men’s World Cup. This is the second time that India will be hosting the prestigious tournament, having staged it in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh in 2016, where the hosts lifted the coveted trophy.
FIH said that the competition will be played towards the end of 2021 but exact venue and dates for the tournament will announced at a later stage. The junior men’s World Cup will see 16 teams compete for the title, out of which six will be from Europe, four from Asia, including hosts India, two from Africa, two from Oceania and two from Pan America.
Out of the 16 teams, the six European teams, who have already qualified for the event in India, are Germany, England, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and France, as they secured their berths through the European Continental Championships which were held in 2019.
Reigning champions India had defeated Belgium 2-1 in the final match of the 2016 edition at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in Lucknow, which saw them lift their second-ever FIH Junior Men’s World Cup. India had also hosted the FIH senior men’s Hockey World Cup in 2018 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
The Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup, formerly known as the Hockey Junior World Cup, is an international field hockey competition organized by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The tournament was started in 1979. Since 1985 it has been held every four years. Competitors must be under the age of 21 as of December 31 in the year before the tournament is held.
Official site for FIH – more details available here.
This article was originally published in NewIndianExpress.com