Chennai, Tamil Nadu: The Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup is set to begin this Friday, with India preparing to chase another championship victory on home soil after nearly a decade. The opening match will see India face Chile, marking the start of their campaign to reclaim the title they previously secured in 2016 at Lucknow.

India has been grouped in Pool B, where they will compete against Chile, Oman, and Switzerland. Originally, Pakistan was included in the same pool, but Oman stepped in after Pakistan withdrew due to security-related concerns.

This year’s tournament features a total of 24 participating teams, with matches scheduled to take place across the cities of Chennai and Madurai.