Hockey India Junior Men Championship Begins in Coimbatore

The 16th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2026 began on 28 July 2026 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The tournament features 30 teams and is organised across three divisions, namely Division A, Division B, and Division C.

Hockey India Junior Men National Championship

The Hockey India Junior Men National Championship is an annual national-level field hockey competition for junior men’s teams in India. The event uses a divisional format, which places teams in different competitive groups based on performance and ranking.

Division Structure

Division A, Division B, and Division C are the three competitive tiers in the championship. Division A generally includes the stronger teams, while Division B and Division C provide promotion and relegation pathways within the tournament structure.

Opening Day Results

• Hockey Himachal defeated Hockey Maharashtra 1-0 in Pool A of Division B, and Shubhdeep Singh scored the only goal.
• Hockey Uttarakhand beat Kerala Hockey 5-2 in Pool A of Division B.
• Hockey Andhra Pradesh defeated Bihar 2-1 in Pool B of Division B.
• Hockey Chandigarh registered a 9-2 win over Chhattisgarh Hockey in Pool B of Division B, and Gurpreet Singh scored five goals.
• Goans Hockey and Hockey Rajasthan finished 3-3 in Pool A of Division C.
• Le Puducherry Hockey defeated Hockey Gujarat 10-0 in Division C.

Important Facts for Exams

• Field hockey is governed in India by Hockey India, the national sports federation for the sport.
• Junior men’s hockey tournaments in India are used to identify players in the under-age national pathway.
• Coimbatore is a major city in Tamil Nadu and has hosted national sporting events in multiple disciplines.
• A 10-0 scoreline in hockey is classified as a shutout win when the losing team fails to score.

National Hockey Structure

The divisional format in Indian hockey is used in several national competitions to separate teams by performance level. Pool-based matches are common in such tournaments, and goal difference often becomes relevant in league standings.