Mumbai, June 28 (IANS) Their participation in the event in India is still in doubt due to the groundswell of demand for excluding them in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, Pakistan were on Saturday grouped with archrivals India in the expanded 24-team FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025 to be played in Tamil Nadu in November-December this year.

FIH President Tayyab Ikram, who incidentally is of Pakistani origin but represents Macau in the organisation, pulled out the ball containing Pakistan’s name on the penultimate turn from the first bowl, putting the winner of the inaugural edition in 1979 into Group B along with India, Chile, and Switzerland.

The FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 will be played in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10. India are two-time winners of the prestigious event, bagging the titles in 2001 and 2016 in Lucknow. They had finished runner-up in 1997 and fourth on three occasions (2005, 2021 and 2023).

Tayyab Ikram participated in the draw ceremony along with Bhola Nath Singh, Hockey India Secretary General and Cdr. RK Srivastava, Hockey India Director General as 24 teams were drawn into six pools of four each.

While India and Pakistan are the top teams in Group B, Group A comprises reigning champion Germany, also the most successful team in the event, having won the title on seven occasions, South Africa, Canada, and Ireland.

Group C includes three-time champions Argentina and New Zealand, besides Asian rivals Japan and China. Group D comprises Spain, Belgium, Egypt, and Namibia, while Pool E will have the Netherlands, Malaysia, England, and Austria fighting for spots in the knock-out stage. The last edition’s runner-up, France, are in Group F along with former champions Australia, South Korea, and Bangladesh.

The teams will be playing each other in a round-robin format in their respective pool before the group toppers move into the quarterfinals, while the remaining teams will engage in crossover matches to decide the remaining teams in the quarterfinals and those in classification matches.

Ahead of the draw ceremony, FIH President Tayyab Ikram thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya “for seeing Hockey as a prime sport and supporting it not only in India but also across Asia and globally”.

“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 doing that. I express my gratitude to the Tamil Nadu leadership Chief Minister M. K. Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for welcoming the young stars to the state of Tamil Nadu into the two beautiful cities of Chennai and Madurai. This World Cup also brings with it the opportunity to enhance our hockey infrastructure, and in the city of Madurai, introduce a new state-of-the-art hockey stadium,” Ikram was quoted as saying by FIH in a release on Saturday.

Hockey India Secretary General, Bhola Nath Singh also thanked PM Modi and Dr Mandaviya, besides TN CM Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin, for supporting the event.

“This effort would not have been possible without the mentorship and support of our elder brother, Dato Tayyab Ikram, whose promotion of international hockey has been invaluable. In advance of the draw, I congratulate all 24 participating teams and warmly welcome each delegation to India. We hope this event offers a memorable and enriching experience for all,” said Bhola Nath Singh.

Germany are the current Junior Men’s World Champions, having defeated France 2–1 in the final of the 2023 edition, to win a record-extending seventh title.

–IANS

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