FIH Hockey World Cups for Junior Men winners-- Germany. / International Hockey federation

Germany (men) and the Netherlands (women) could not have asked for a better way to close the year than lifting World Cup titles. Though the expanded tournaments featuring 24 teams each were held thousands of miles apart, the quality gap on display raised uncomfortable questions about the future competitiveness of one of the world’s oldest Olympic team sports.

The FIH Junior Men’s World Cup, organised by the Tamil Nadu Hockey Association in collaboration with the state government, was staged across Madurai and Chennai. It marked the first time a World Cup-level hockey event was hosted in Tamil Nadu. Chennai, however, is no stranger to elite hockey, having previously hosted major FIH events, including the now-discontinued Champions Trophy and the Rene Frank International Invitation Tournament following India’s maiden senior World Cup triumph in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur.

India has since hosted the junior men’s World Cup at several venues, including Bhubaneswar, but without title success. The just-concluded edition offered partial consolation, as the hosts finished on the podium after a stirring 4-2 win over Argentina in the third-place playoff. Trailing 0-2 until the 48th minute, India produced a remarkable late surge, scoring four unanswered goals to seal the bronze.

Germany’s supremacy in junior men’s hockey, however, remained unchallenged. The defending champions retained their title for a record eighth time, defeating Spain 3-2 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. Spain, appearing in their first-ever World Cup final, applied early pressure with five penalty corners in the opening quarter but failed to breach Germany’s disciplined defense.

Traditional powers such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and England finished outside the medal positions, underlining a shifting hierarchy at the junior level.

The tournament also introduced a new “losers’ trophy” for teams finishing in the bottom half, an initiative aimed at ensuring more matches for sides eliminated early. Bangladesh emerged winners of the newly created competition. While well-intentioned, the innovation did little to disguise the widening gulf between the top and bottom halves of the field.

Several matches were decided by double-digit margins. India’s 17-0 rout of late entrant Oman was one such example, a result that diminished the sheen of what is meant to be a fiercely contested global championship.

Belgium edged the Netherlands 4-3 after a 3-3 draw to finish fifth, while France defeated New Zealand 4-1 to claim seventh place. The final standings saw Germany first, Spain second, India third and Argentina fourth. Belgium finished fifth, followed by the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Australia, South Africa and Canada, which placed 22nd.

A similar pattern emerged in the Junior Women’s World Cup, held in Santiago, Chile. Established powers once again asserted dominance, with the Netherlands securing their third consecutive world title. India, unable to reach the quarterfinals, finished a disappointing 10th.

The Dutch defeated Argentina 2-1 in the final to claim their sixth overall world crown, completing a hat trick of titles following victories in 2022, 2023 and 2025. The match was decided in the first half through a penalty corner goal and another from open play. The Netherlands then relied on a compact defensive structure to withstand sustained Argentine pressure at the Estadio Nacional.

Belgium claimed the bronze medal with a convincing 5-1 win over China, which finished as the highest-placed Asian team in the tournament. China’s campaign was marked by consistency, including a shootout loss in the semifinals and a group-stage draw against Argentina.

Classification matches saw Austria finish 21st after beating Malaysia 3-1, while Zimbabwe edged Namibia 2-1 in the playoff for 23rd place.

Once again, the disparity between teams was stark. India opened with a 13-0 win over Namibia but failed to reach the last eight after losing 3-1 to Germany in their second match. Elsewhere, Belgium thrashed Zimbabwe 21-0, and the Netherlands defeated Malaysia 13-0, results that prompted renewed debate about tournament format and competitive balance.

The final women’s standings had the Netherlands first, Argentina second, Belgium third and China fourth. Germany placed fifth, followed by the United States, Australia, England, Spain, India, Japan and Uruguay.

Across both tournaments, the message was clear: while Germany and the Netherlands continue to set the global benchmark, the widening gap between elite and emerging teams presents a challenge the sport can no longer ignore.