New Delhi, 27 July (H.S.): The 16th Hockey India Junior Men’s National Championship 2026 will begin on July 28 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, with the country’s top 30 junior men’s hockey teams competing for the prestigious national title. The 12-day tournament will conclude on August 8, with the Division ‘A’ final deciding the champion team.

This year, the championship has been divided into three categories — Division ‘A’, Division ‘B’ and Division ‘C’. While Division ‘A’ teams will compete for the championship title, teams in Divisions ‘B’ and ‘C’ will aim to secure promotion to the higher divisions. With a promotion and relegation system in place, every match is expected to carry significant importance.

In Division ‘A’, the 12 participating teams have been divided into four pools. Pool A consists of Hockey Haryana, Hockey Madhya Pradesh and Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu. Pool B includes Hockey Association of Odisha, Hockey Manipur and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Hockey. Pool C features Hockey Punjab, Hockey Jharkhand and Delhi Hockey, while Pool D comprises Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Karnataka and Hockey Bengal.

The top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarter-finals. The quarter-final matches will be played on August 5, the semi-finals on August 6, and the third-place playoff and final will take place on August 8. The bottom two teams in Division ‘A’ will be relegated to Division ‘B’ in the next season.

Division ‘B’ will feature 10 teams divided into two pools. The top two teams from this division will earn promotion to Division ‘A’, while the bottom two teams will be relegated to Division ‘C’. Meanwhile, Division ‘C’ will see eight teams compete in two pools, with the top two teams earning promotion to Division ‘B’ in the following season.

In the league stage, teams will be awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a defeat. In case of a draw in Division ‘A’ knockout matches, the winner will be decided through a shootout as per International Hockey Federation (FIH) regulations.

Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey said the Junior Men’s National Championship is a crucial platform for nurturing young hockey talent, adding that several players who have represented India at the international level have emerged through this tournament. He expressed hope that the championship would once again help identify new promising players.

Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh said the competition plays an important role in the development of young players. He added that the promotion and relegation format makes the tournament more competitive and exciting for all participating teams.

First-Day Schedule

The opening day of the championship will feature matches from Division ‘B’ and Division ‘C’. The first match will be played at 6:00 am between Assam Hockey and Hockey Mizoram. Other fixtures include Goans Hockey versus Hockey Rajasthan, Telangana Hockey versus Tripura Olympic Association, Le Puducherry Hockey versus Hockey Gujarat, Hockey Maharashtra versus Hockey Himachal, Hockey Uttarakhand versus Kerala Hockey, Hockey Andhra Pradesh versus Bihar (BSSA), and Hockey Chandigarh versus Chhattisgarh Hockey.

The Division ‘A’ matches will begin from August 1.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar