The German team always finished on the podium during the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup on Indian soil
Madurai, November 23, 2025: Preparations for the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 have begun in full swing, adding Canada and defending champions the German Men’s Junior Hockey Team, both of whom arrived in Madurai on Sunday. Germany had won the 2023 FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup after beating France 2-1 in the final in Kuala Lumpur. Korea also landed in Chennai in the afternoon on Sunday.
The Germans, who have won seven FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup titles, are the most successful team in the competition’s history and received plenty of buzz on Sunday. The defending champions secured a place in the 24-team FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 after finishing fourth at the Euro Hockey U21 Championship 2024. The top-ranked team in the competition, the Germans, will be captained by Ben Hasbach with head coach Johannes Schmitz and assistant coach Patrick Fritsche forming the leadership group.
The Germans are part of Pool A, along with Canada, South Africa and Ireland, and begin their title defense against South Africa on November 28, before playing Canada on November 29 before their final match in the first phase of the tournament against Ireland on December 1.
Interestingly, on Indian soil in the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, the Germans won gold in New Delhi in 2013, silver in 2021 in Bhubaneshwar and bronze in 2016 in Lucknow, and in the history of the competition have only missed out on a podium finish in 2005 when they finished sixth in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In fact, from 1982 through 1993, the Germans won four consecutive gold medals in the competition.
When asked about the team’s preparations, Germany captain Ben Hasbach said: “We are very confident. We have had very good training camps throughout the year. But there are many other teams competing for the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025. And we have to beat them all. I don’t know which team will be the toughest opponent because there are many good teams here.”
Meanwhile, the Cananda Men’s Junior Hockey Team also scored a touchdown in India, who are back on the world stage after a short break, having secured their spot at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 by finishing second at the 2024 Junior Pan American Championship in Surrey, BC.
Canada, drawn in Pool A, is joined by Germany, South Africa and Ireland. The Canadian side, captained by Grant Simpson and coached by Geoff Matthews, will open their campaign against Ireland on November 28 before taking on Germany on November 29 before wrapping up their group stage match against South Africa on December 1.
The last time the Canadian team competed in the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup was in 2021 in Bhubaneshwar, where they finished 13th. In that edition, the Canadian team had achieved victories over the US and Chile. The Canadians’ best finish in the tournament’s history came in 1982 in Kuala Lumpur, where they finished 8th.
On arrival in India, Canadian head coach Geoff Matthews said: “The crowd in Madurai is incredible and we are really looking forward to the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025. As a team we are excited. A lot of the guys have been here before. We have a lot of Indian players in our squad. So we are excited and looking forward to the first time against Ireland. And we would like to finish in the top 16 and score as many goals as possible. That is the first goal.”
Meanwhile, South Korea, drawn in Pool F with Australia, Bangladesh and France, arrived in Chennai on Sunday. The Korean men’s junior hockey team secured a place at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 after finishing fifth at the Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2024.
In the 2023 edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, Korea finished 13th, and with captain Seunghan Son and head coach Jungbin Lim, they will look to finish higher in the standings.
The Koreans will start their campaign against 2023 silver medalists France on November 29 before taking on Bangladesh on November 30. In their final group match they will face the mighty Australians on December 2.
The live streaming of FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 matches will be available on JioHotstar.