Reigning Asian champions India have been drawn alongside Egypt, Switzerland, and Jamaica in Pool B of the FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup scheduled to take place from January 24-31, 2024 in Muscat, Oman.
Sixteen national teams will compete in the inaugural edition of the tournament and they have been divided into four groups of four teams each.
India earned their qualification for the tournament after a successful trophy win at the inaugural Men’s Hockey5s Asia Cup, defeating Pakistan 4-4 (2-0 SO) in the final.
Speaking on the competition, Mandeep Mor, who led the Indian team as Captain in the tournament said, “We will not take any teams lightly. We have a good time to prepare for the tournament and we will look to improve in certain areas. We will also study our opponents thoroughly and see their match footage to get an understanding of what we can expect.”
Meanwhile, the Netherlands has been drawn with Pakistan, Poland and Nigeria in Pool A. Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago and Kenya are placed in Pool C, while hosts Oman will face Malaysia, the United States and Fiji in Pool D.
“There are some really strong teams that have qualified for the inaugural edition of the FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024. Everyone will enter the tournament with the hopes of becoming the first-ever World Champions and we want to do that as well. We will focus on our own game and try to stick to our game plans to achieve positive results,” Mandeep added.
The Indian defender further added that their performance in the Men’s Hockey5s Asia Cup has boosted the team’s confidence ahead of the FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024.
“The tournament has helped us grow our confidence in heaps and bounds. We feel we have learned a lot about our strengths and the areas where we can improve upon. We will hope to continue our momentum and hope to get a podium finish at the inaugural FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024,” he signed off.
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