Men's Hockey World Cup: India face England in crucial tie
What's the story
The Indian men's hockey team is all set to face world number three, England, in a crucial Pool D clash at the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2026. The match will be played at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands. India's campaign started with a 3-1 victory over Wales while England also had a strong start by defeating Pakistan 4-1.
Match analysis
India need to improve their finishing
India's win over Wales was largely due to its penalty-corner prowess, with all three goals coming from set pieces.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored twice after Sanjay opened the scoring.
However, India will be looking to improve its finishing from open play after creating several chances without scoring a field goal.
The match against England is expected to be closely contested given their recent history.
Rivalry
India and England have had a competitive rivalry
India and England have had a competitive rivalry, meeting twice during the recent FIH Pro League in London.
Both matches ended in shootouts with one win each.
India's star midfielder Hardik Singh said, "When two evenly-matched teams face off, then things can heat up on the pitch."
He added that they don't carry any animosity as they are friends with many players in the England team irrespective of whatever happened in the Paris Olympics quarter-final.
Game plan
Craig Fulton hopes for a strong performance against England
India's chief coach Craig Fulton remained upbeat ahead of the match.
"They are the highest-ranked team in our pool, so we are really going to go after them," he told reporters.
He added that they have their own plans and hope to foil England's plans to put their mark on the game.
England has been a consistent side in international hockey, losing only two of their 16 matches in the 2025-26 Pro League where they finished second behind Belgium.
Past encounters
Key details about the India vs England rivalry
As per IANS, India's last World Cup victory over England was in 1994, when they won the fifth-sixth-place match in Sydney by a solitary goal.
They lost to England in three consecutive World Cups between 2002 and 2010.
Their most recent encounter in 2023 ended in a goalless draw.
A win over England would put India in a strong position to advance and give a major boost to their title hopes.