"Hockey is being revived in cities where sport was once popular": Tirkey welcomes return of Women’s Hockey to Bhopal

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey welcomed the return of international women's hockey to Bhopal, highlighting the city’s rich hockey heritage ahead of the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2026, scheduled to be held from November 19 to 28.

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey welcomed the return of international women's hockey to Bhopal, highlighting the city’s rich hockey heritage ahead of the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2026, scheduled to be held from November 19 to 28. He said hosting the tournament after several years would help revive the sport's popularity in the region and encourage more local players to emerge in the future.

Six teams, India, Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea, will compete for the continental title in what promises to be an exciting showcase of women's hockey. “A tournament is being held in Bhopal after many years. There was a time when Bhopal had a strong domestic hockey culture, and many players emerged from the city... An international women's hockey match is also being held in Bhopal after several years. This is a good development, as hockey is being revived in cities where the sport was once popular. This will help more players from these regions emerge in the future," Tirkey told ANI.

The tournament will hold special significance for the Indian women's hockey team as it marks their first international assignment following their historic gold medal triumph at the Asian Games in Japan last month. The hosts will enter the competition as defending champions and three-time winners, having lifted the title in 2016, 2023 and 2024. India will be aiming to secure a third consecutive title and extend their success in the competition. The tournament will follow a round-robin format, with each team facing the other five teams once. The top four teams at the end of the league stage will advance to the semi-finals.

The opening day on November 19 will feature China taking on Thailand in the tournament opener. India will begin their campaign against Malaysia in a match preceded by the opening ceremony on the same day. The hosts will subsequently face South Korea on November 21, Thailand on November 22, China on November 24 and Japan on November 25. (ANI)