Junior Hockey Stars Shine in India
Junior World Cup showcases the next generation
The 2025 Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup, held in India from 28 November to 10 December, was a celebration of the future of international hockey, with matches at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai and the Madurai International Hockey Stadium in Madurai. Both venues feature world-class Poligras hockey turfs, providing the perfect stage for the world’s top junior talent.
Germany once again proved their dominance at junior level, extending their remarkable record to eight Men’s Junior World Cup titles. In a tense final against Spain, the match was 1–1 at full time, before Germany claimed victory in the shootout.
“Both venues feature world-class Poligras hockey turfs, providing the perfect stage for the world’s top junior talent.”
Hosts India delighted the home fans by winning the bronze medal in a thrilling playoff match against Argentina. Trailing 0–2 late in the game, India produced an incredible comeback, scoring four goals in the final 15 minutes.
A major highlight of the tournament was the introduction of the Challenger Trophy, for teams competing for 17th to 24th place. Bangladesh made history by winning the inaugural Challenger Trophy, underlining the importance of the expanded 24-team format. This new structure gives more nations the opportunity to compete on the world stage and provides emerging hockey countries with a meaningful target to aim for.
The expanded format is something for the global hockey community to celebrate, with smaller hockey nations such as Namibia, Switzerland, Oman, and Austria competing alongside traditional powerhouses like Germany, England, and Australia. The standard of play throughout the tournament showed that the future of the game is in very good hands.
Congratulations to all players, coaches, and officials for delivering an inspiring Junior World Cup that highlighted both the depth and global growth of international hockey.
