Belgium’s best second-place finish at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in 2016
Madurai, November 22, 2025: As the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 headed to its opening day home leg, Belgium became the second team to arrive in Madurai on Saturday.
The Belgian team, popularly known as The Young Red Lions, has arrived in India with the aim of doing better than their predecessors from two years ago. At the 2023 World Cup in Malaysia, they missed qualifying for the quarter-finals and ultimately finished ninth. The Young Red Lions’ best result in the history of the competition came in 2016, when the Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup was played in Lucknow. At the 2016 World Junior Hockey Men’s Hockey Championships in Lucknow, Belgium finished with the silver medal when it lost to host country India in the final.
Belgium, placed in Pool D, will have the likes of Egypt, Namibia and Spain for company and will play all their matches in the first phase of the tournament in Madurai. Belgium opens its campaign against Namibia on November 28 and plays Spain on November 30 before completing the group stage against Egypt on December 2.
Led by Head Coach Sean Dancer, the Young Red Lions will not only look to improve on their finish in 2023, but also aim as high as finishing with the Gold Medal, in a country they have fond memories of. Among the players to watch out for are the duo of Hugo Labouchere (7 caps) and Lucas Balthazar (16 caps), both of whom play key roles in the Belgian men’s hockey team.
Upon arrival, Belgium head coach Sean Dancer said: “I have been to many hockey tournaments around the world before, but I have never received such a welcome at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025. So it is great to be here in Madurai.”
When asked about the Young Red Lions’ preparations for the upcoming FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025, the Head Coach added: “We have been working very hard in Belgium in preparation and we are very happy with our progress so far. And we are very much looking forward to the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025.”
The live streaming of FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 matches will be available on JioHotstar.