Wales men learn World Cup opponents

Wales senior men have been drawn into Pool D alongside England, India and Pakistan for the 2026 Hockey World Cup.

The draw took place on Tuesday afternoon at the iconic Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam, one of the venues for this summer’s event.

The World Cup will take place across Wavre in Belgium and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, from 15th to 30th August.

Pool D will see our senior men take on England, India and Pakistan – ranked 4th, 8th, and 12th in the world respectively – across venues in the Netherlands.

Wales men's Head Coach, Danny Newcombe, stated:

"Playing at a World Cup is what it’s all about; the chance to go toe-to-toe with the very best and most exciting teams in the world. The 2026 draw couldn’t have set it up better. Taking on India and Pakistan on this stage is something special, something exciting, and something this group will absolutely thrive on. Then you throw a Wales vs England clash into the mix it doesn’t get much bigger than that. It’s a group that we are really excited about.

"We know every game will push us to our limits. But that’s exactly where we want to be. This group has worked relentlessly for the opportunity to compete at this level for the second time, and we embrace the challenge head-on, that’s when we’re at our best."

Wales qualified for the World Cup in dramatic fashion in Chile this month.

Picking up one point in their opening two matches, Wales needed a win by three from their final Pool game to progress to the semi-final stage; an incredible 5-0 victory over Scotland ensued, keeping their qualification hopes alive.

Ireland would subsequently inflict a 4-0 defeat on our senior men, although another spirited bounce-back to beat Poland 2-1 in a straight shoot-out for a World Cup place ensured that Wales were in the hat and will feature in Belgium and the Netherlands.