3 min readUpdated: Mar 17, 2026 11:09 PM IST India and arch rivals Pakistan will feature in the same pool at the upcoming men’s Hockey World Cup starting from August 15 in Belgium and Netherlands, International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced on Tuesday. After the draw ceremony for the Hockey World Cup on Tuesday, India has been clubbed with Pakistan, England and Wales in the Pool D for the men’s edition while the Indian women’s team have been group with Olympic silver medallist China, South Africa and England. A total of 16 teams have qualified for the World Cup and have been divided into four pools with four teams each. After the pool stage, the top two teams from each pool would progress to the next round where the eight teams will be again clubbed in two pools. The top two team from each pool in the second round would make it to the semi-final phase. Both men’s and women’s editions will be played simultaneously and in the same format. After being clubbed in Group D …