Indian women's hockey team leaves for Europe ahead of 2026 World Cup

The Indian women's hockey team has departed for Europe as it prepares for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup. The squad will play two practice matches against Germany in Frankfurt before opening its World Cup campaign against China on 16 August in Amstelveen, Netherlands.

The Frankfurt fixtures are scheduled as the final warm-up assignments on the continental trip, providing match practice against a strong European opponent. After completing the preparations in Germany, the team will travel to the Netherlands to contest its opening tournament game on 16 August in Amstelveen, Netherlands. These steps form the immediate build-up to India’s participation at the FIH World Cup.

The two preparatory matches against Germany in Frankfurt are intended to offer competitive minutes and sharpness ahead of the World Cup opener. Playing in Frankfurt gives the squad exposure to European conditions and match tempo before the tournament proper. Those fixtures are the last scheduled on-field tune-ups prior to the first World Cup match.

India’s first assignment at the FIH World Cup comes against China, with the fixture set for 16 August in Amstelveen, Netherlands. That opening match will mark the beginning of the team’s campaign in the tournament and follows directly after the Frankfurt stop on the team’s itinerary. The location and date of the opener have been confirmed as part of the World Cup schedule.

The delegation has now left for the World Cup and will move through the planned schedule of practice and tournament matches across Europe. Travel from the preparation venue in Frankfurt to Amstelveen will place the team at the site of its initial competition on 16 August. The sequence of warm-up games followed by the opening World Cup fixture constitutes the immediate programme for the touring side.

India’s European trip culminates in the World Cup opener in Amstelveen, Netherlands on 16 August, after which the tournament campaign will continue according to the FIH schedule. The team has left for the World Cup and will use the Frankfurt matches as the final stage of on-field preparation.