Indian junior men's hockey team set for exposure tour to Belgium

New Delhi, Jun 25 (PTI) The Indian U-21 men’s hockey team is set to tour Belgium next month for six high-intensity matches against the hosts, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.

The tour will serve as a critical preparation phase for the squad under its new coach Frederic Soyez ahead of the men’s junior Asia Cup later this year.

The tour will see India play two matches each against Austria and Belgium and one match apiece against Germany and the Netherlands.

Of the six matches, which will be played from July 7 to 17 2026, five will be held at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium, while the concluding match of the tour against the Netherlands will be played at the Hockey Centre of Excellence in Antwerp.

India will open their campaign against

Austria on July 7, followed by the second match against the same opponents on July 8.

The team will then face hosts Belgium on July 10, before taking on Germany on July 13 and Belgium again on July 14. The tour-concluding fixture against the Netherlands will be played on July 17.

Ahead of the tour, recently appointed coach Soyez stated, “I am very excited about experiencing this first tour with the group. It is a great opportunity to get to know the players better in a different environment, while also laying the foundations of our playing project.

“Tours like this are always important because they help create shared references, strengthen team cohesion and begin to build a real team identity.

“These matches are very important because they immediately put us in conditions that are close to what we will face in major competitions,” the coach concluded. PTI SSC BS BS