The stage is set in Bhubaneswar as the 16 participating teams prepare to battle it out for top honours at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, which is scheduled to begin on November 24.
All four teams in their respective pools will be aiming to finish in the top half of their pool, as the top two teams from each pool will qualify for the quarter-final of the tournament. In Pool A, European heavyweights Belgium will face off against Malaysia, Chile and South Africa.
“India will be, of course, a force to watch playing at home with the qualities they have,” Belgium coach Jeroen Baart said on arrival, according to a Hockey India release.
Defending champions India are placed in Group B, along with Canada, France, and Poland, who all arrived in Bhubaneswar to battle it out for the title in the past week. The India Colts, led by captain Vivek Sagar Prasad, will be looking to retain the prestigious trophy as they take centre stage on their home turf.
“Our team became the Champions in 2016 and now our team’s aim is to continue to perform in a similar manner,” Vivek, who was part of India’s historic bronze-medal winning performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, said.\
Netherlands, Spain, Korea and USA will lock horns in Pool C while Pool D will see Germany, Pakistan, Egypt and Argentina face off against each other.