ISLAMABAD, Nov 7 (dna):Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia gears up to welcome the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Malaysia 2023 beginning December 5, with 12 teams in action on opening day.
Malaysia has a rich relationship with the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cups, having hosted the event on three occasions in the past. The cities of Kuala Lumpur (1982), Ipoh (1989) and Johor Bahru (2009) hosted the second, fourth and ninth editions of the event respectively.
The 13th edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup will see Kuala Lumpur play hosts once again, 41 years since the event was last held in Malaysia’s capital city.
The 16 teams chasing glory were eager to get going, show their impressive skills on the world stage and etch their names in the history books. Meanwhile the hosts have pulled out all the stops to ensure the players have a tournament to remember for a lifetime, said a press release.
The 16 teams that have qualified for the event have been placed into their respective pools.
Pool A features defending champions Argentina taking on continental rivals Chile along with hosts Malaysia and former champions Australia, who are back in the event after missing out on the 2021 edition due to issues related to the pandemic.
Pool B pits together two medalists from the 2021 edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, silver medalists Germany and bronze medalists France, along with the pair of African teams in Egypt and South Africa.
Pool C would see a mixture of playing styles on display with Canada and India, known for their counter-attacking hockey, taking on Korea, who rely on building off the back of a structurally solid defence and Spain, who are masters of the possession game.
Pool D features multiple powerhouses of hockey in Belgium, Netherlands, New Zealand and Pakistan. Outside of Pakistan, none of the teams in Pool D have ever won the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, while Pakistan themselves haven’t finished at the top of the podium places since the inaugural edition of the event, back in 1979! All 4 teams will be hungry to change their fortunes and grab the gold medal in Kuala Lumpur next month!
The World Cup begins in one month on December 5 with 12 teams in action on opening day. Pool B action between France and Egypt would get the tournament underway on the opening day. Germany vs South Africa, Spain vs Canada, Argentina vs Australia and India vs Korea would follow the opening match. Hosts Malaysia would take on Chile in the final encounter of the opening day, with the hopes of making a perfect start in front of their passionate home fans.
