16th Hockey India Senior Men’s National Championship to Begin in Jhansi on October 10

Jhansi, Oct 9 : The 16th Hockey India Senior Men’s National Championship 2026 will begin in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, on October 10, with 29 teams competing across three divisions. The tournament will conclude on October 21, with the Division A final scheduled for the last day.

The championship will feature Divisions A, B and C, with teams grouped according to their rankings in the 2025 edition. The tournament will provide a platform for teams from across the country to showcase their talent and compete for national honours.

In the previous edition, Hockey Punjab clinched the title after defeating Hockey Madhya Pradesh 4-1 in the Division A final. Uttar Pradesh Hockey finished third, beating Manipur Hockey 5-1 in the third-place match.

Division A will feature 12 teams divided into four pools of three teams each. Pool A comprises Hockey Punjab, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu and Hockey Bengal. Pool B includes Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Maharashtra and Le Puducherry Hockey.

Pool C features Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Karnataka and Hockey Chandigarh, while Pool D comprises Manipur Hockey, Hockey Haryana and Delhi Hockey.

The Division A pool-stage matches will begin on October 14. The quarter-finals are scheduled for October 18, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the knockout stage. The semi-finals will be held on October 19, followed by the third-place match and the final on October 21.

Division B will see 10 teams compete in two pools of five teams each. Pool A consists of Hockey Association of Odisha, Assam Hockey, Kerala Hockey, Hockey Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh Hockey.

Pool B features Hockey Jharkhand, Telangana Hockey, Goans Hockey, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey, and Hockey Arunachal.

Division C will feature seven teams divided into two pools. Pool A comprises Hockey Mizoram, Hockey Himachal and Hockey Jammu & Kashmir, while Pool B includes Hockey Andhra Pradesh, Hockey Rajasthan, Bihar (BSSA) and Hockey Gujarat.

Matches in Divisions B and C will begin on October 10, with participating teams aiming to make a strong start to their campaigns.

With 29 teams competing across three divisions, the championship is expected to provide an exciting fortnight of domestic hockey, as teams vie for their respective division titles in Jhansi from October 10 to 21.