Hosts India were clubbed alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, Chile, and Switzerland in Pool B of the expanded Hockey Men's Junior World Cup, the draw for which was held at the FIH headquarters at Lausanne, Switzerland, on Saturday.
The 2025 edition of the tournament, scheduled to be held in Chennai and Madurai between November 28 and December 10, will feature 24 teams for the very first time.
Pool A consists of Germany, South Africa, Canada, and Ireland while Pool C will feature Argentina, New Zealand, Japan, and China.
Spain, Belgium, Egypt, and Namibia are drawn in Pool D, while Netherlands, Malaysia, England, and Austria are placed in Pool E.
France, Australia, South Korea, and Bangladesh constitute Pool F.
International Hockey Federation president Tayyab Ikram presented the official draw and was joined by Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh, and Hockey India director general R K Srivastava.
"It is a great pleasure to be here ahead of a milestone moment as we start the journey towards the first ever 24-team FIH Junior Hockey World Cup. It is a part of the FIH strategy to empower and engage the youth from all nations, including the emerging nations, and this event will be the first step towards that," Ikram said in a statement.
"This World Cup also brings with it the opportunity to enhance our hockey infrastructure. The city of Madurai will get a state-of-the-art hockey stadium," he added.
Germany are the defending champions, having defeated France 2–1 in the final of the 2023 edition, to win a record-extending seventh title.
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