New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) After India women placed in Pool D alongside England, China, and South Africa for the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands, chief coach Sjoerd Marijne is confident that his team is mindful of the stern tests ahead and can consistently express their style of hockey.

The Indian Women’s Hockey Team is preparing for the marquee event following the tournament, which is scheduled to take place in August this year, after draw revealed on Tuesday evening.

China are the top-ranked team in the group, currently ranked World No. 4. India’s recent opponents in the finals and winners of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers Hyderabad, Telangana - England are ranked sixth, with India and South Africa ranked ninth and nineteenth, respectively. With vastly different styles of play, the group will pose an exciting challenge for the Indian squad.

“This is a very competitive and balanced pool. There are teams like England and China that bring different styles and a lot of experience, while South Africa women’s national field hockey team is always unpredictable and dangerous on their day,” Marijne said.

“However, for us, it’s not about the draw - It’s about how we show up. At a World Cup, every match demands your best. We respect all opponents, but our focus is on playing our style of hockey with consistency and courage”, he added.

India clinched second place in the recently concluded FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers Hyderabad, Telangana, falling short against England in the final. Despite the final hurdle, there were plenty of positives for the team. They finished the tournament as the second-highest goal scorers (11 goals), with six of those coming from penalty corners.

Reflecting on the tournament, Marijne encouraged the team to constantly look to improve and find consistency, with emphasis on being more clinical on both ends of the field. He said, “We’ve done well going forward, but the most important thing for us is to focus on converting our chances into goals – whether it is from field goals or from penalty corners. Besides this we, we also have to continue working on our structures defensively.”

Having guided the team to a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Marijne returned to lead the side in January this year. Elaborating on his vision for the squad, he stated, “We are building something long-term. We want to build a team that is resilient, adaptable, and fearless. Qualifying was the step, but we are aiming for much more. The first steps have been made in the right direction, but there is much more to go if we want to be successful.”

Looking forward to the team’s tournament while highlighting the preparation, Marijne concluded, “We have a tour to USA and Argentina, the Nations Cup in New Zealand, and practice matches in Germany. We will also play some matches in the Netherlands. These scheduled games combined with our camps set us up for a very good mix of matches and training to be ready for the World Cup and Asian Games.”

--IANS

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