Men's Jr World Cup: Madurai lays out red carpet for Malaysia, Egypt, Namibia, England, South Africa; New Zealand reach Chennai

Madurai (T.N.), Nov 24 (IANS) It was a busy Monday at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025 in both Madurai and Chennai, as a whole host of teams made their way to India for the prestigious tournament. Among the teams that reached Madurai were Malaysia, Egypt, Namibia, England, and South Africa, whilst New Zealand’s long journey to India ended in Chennai. 

Arriving first on Monday was the Malaysian side, who finished 12th in 2023, and have been drawn in Pool E along with England, Austria, and the Netherlands. The Malaysians will begin their campaign against Austria on November 29, and then take on the mighty Netherlands on November 30. Their last group stage game will be against the England side on December 2.

Following them were Egypt, which stood ninth in the 2023 edition of the tournament. Placed in Pool D with Belgium, Spain, and Namibia, the Egyptians are ranked 7th in the world and will commence their campaign against Spain on November 28. Their second game will be against Namibia on the 30th, and their final group stage contest pits them against the Belgians on December 2.

Fellow African counterparts, Namibia, touched down in Madurai after that. The debutants are in Pool D with Belgium, Spain, and Egypt, and will be looking to make a mark in their first appearance in the 2025 edition. Namibia’s campaign begins against Belgium on November 28, followed by a game against Egypt on November 30, with the final group phase contest against Spain on December 2.

Namibia coach Johann Wyhe said, “The welcome has been phenomenal — truly on another level. We deeply appreciate what Hockey India has done for us. Our team has trained very hard, and we’re ready to fight for every moment on the field and see where that takes us.”

Up next were England, who are making their first appearance at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup since 2016, when they finished eighth. The England team have been placed in Pool E with Austria, Malaysia, and the Netherlands, and will be keen to make their mark, almost a decade since their last appearance at this stage. England begin their tournament against the Netherlands on November 29, play Austria on November 30, and close out their group stage against Malaysia on December 2.

England coach Jon Bleby said, “The welcome has been fantastic — truly amazing. We’re thrilled to be here in India for the World Cup. It’s one of the best places in the world to play hockey, and the passion of the people is incredible. We’re genuinely blown away by the hospitality. Our preparations have gone well. In Great Britain, many of these players recently competed at the Sultan Johor Cup, which was valuable for our build-up. We’ve been training hard, and we’re focused on making a strong start in our first game.”

The final team to arrive in Madurai on the day was South Africa, who are placed in Pool A with Canada, Germany, and Ireland. The South African team, who finished 10th in the 2023 edition of the tournament, will open their campaign against defending champions Germany on November 28, and then take on Ireland on the next day, before rounding up their group stage with a match against Canada on December 1.

South Africa coach Guy Elliot said, “It’s absolutely amazing to be here. We didn’t expect such a loud and warm welcome, and the hospitality so far has been outstanding. We’ve only just arrived, but the energy has already made us even more excited for the tournament. Our preparations have gone well — we toured China a couple of months ago, and this journey has been two years in the making. Now we hope to show what we’re truly capable of.”

Meanwhile, in Chennai, New Zealand, which recorded their best-ever Junior Men’s World Cup finish in 2009, when they ended fourth, arrived on Monday afternoon, and will be aiming for their first-ever podium finish. Drawn in Pool C alongside Argentina, China, and Japan, they begin their campaign on November 28 in Chennai against China. After that, New Zealand will play Argentina on November 30 and Japan on December 1.

Speaking on the team’s arrival, New Zealand coach Mike Delaney said, "The atmosphere to play hockey in India is awesome. We can't wait to get on pitch. The last time I was here with the hockey team, we knocked out the Indian team at the Men's World Cup, so the atmosphere there was amazing. We are looking forward to playing in India, as the rivalry we share with India is awesome. There's a lot of really fabulous history between both countries, and it's such an honour to be back in India and competing."

--IANS

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