Indian junior men’s hockey team departs for China ahead of Junior Asia Cup 2026

The Indian junior men’s hockey team has departed for Dalian, China, for a preparatory camp ahead of the Junior Asia Cup 2026. India will train and play three practice matches against China before travelling to Moqi for the continental tournament

New Delhi: The Indian junior men’s hockey team on Sunday left Bengaluru, India, for Dalian, Liaoning, China, as part of its preparations for the upcoming Junior Asia Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in Moqi, China.

The team will arrive in Dalian on Monday (August 24), where they will undergo a series of training sessions before playing practice matches against the China Junior Men’s team. The preparatory camp in Dalian will provide the squad with valuable match exposure and an opportunity to fine-tune its preparations ahead of the continental tournament.

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The team will conduct its first training session on Monday, followed by two sessions on Tuesday and further sessions on August 26 and 27. The Indian side is scheduled to play its first practice match on August 28, followed by another match on 30 August and a third on August 31.

Following the completion of the Dalian leg, the team will depart for Moqi on September 1, 2026, where it will continue its final preparations for the Junior Asia Cup.

The Indian team has been placed in Pool A of the Junior Asia Cup alongside Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei and Indonesia. India will play their opening match against Indonesia on September 5, followed by matches against Japan on September 6, Korea on September 8 and Chinese Taipei on September 9.

The Indian junior men’s team enters this preparatory phase following its recent five-match friendly series against Malaysia in Bengaluru.

“This final training camp in Dalian will allow us to build on the work we have done over the past two months, particularly following our matches against Malaysia. We will have some training sessions on site and play three matches against China, which will allow us to complete our preparations,” said Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team coach Frederic Soyez.

The Indian team will use the Dalian camp and practice matches as an important final phase of preparation before beginning its Junior Asia Cup campaign in Moqi.

India’s Junior Asia Cup 2026 group stage schedule:

September 5: India vs Indonesia — 09:00 Hrs

September 6: Japan vs India — 11:00 Hrs

September 8: Korea vs India — 09:00 Hrs

September 9: India vs Chinese Taipei — 09:00 Hrs